Decline in semen quality of North African men: a retrospective study of 20,958 sperm analyses of men from different North African countries tested in Tunisia over a period of 6 years (2013-2018)

According to numerous studies from around the world, semen quality seems to have declined dramatically in recent times. However, the data available on male fertility status and semen quality in North Africa are limited. To investigate the status of semen quality in North-African men and to understan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of human biology 2021-05, Vol.48 (4), p.350-359
Main Authors: Bahri, Hatem, Ben Khalifa, Mustapha, Ben Rhouma, Maroua, Abidi, Zied, Abbassi, Emna, Ben Rhouma, Khémais, Benkhalifa, Moncef
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Humans
Infertility, Male
Male
male-fertility
Middle Aged
North Africa
regional specificity
Retrospective Studies
Semen
Semen Analysis
Semen quality
Sperm Count
Spermatozoa
Tunisia
WHO criteria's
Young Adult
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Summary:According to numerous studies from around the world, semen quality seems to have declined dramatically in recent times. However, the data available on male fertility status and semen quality in North Africa are limited. To investigate the status of semen quality in North-African men and to understand its variations. 20,958 sperm-analyses (Spermogram - Spermocytogram) of North-African men (19-77 years old) consulting for infertility, performed in a private laboratory of medical analyses (Tunis, Tunisia) over a period of 6 years (2013-2018), were investigated. All patients had at least 1 year of unprotected intercourse with their partners before the test. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 22.0 software for windows. Libyan men presented a clear decline in all sperm parameters. A continuous decline in sperm morphology quality was shown in Tunisian and Algerian men. Mauritanian men presented a significant increase in sperm vitality with pseudo-stability in the rest of the sperm parameters during the whole study period. North-African men presented remarkable decreases in their semen quality over the last decade. This data could confirm possible global common-causes that need to be identified in order to limit their negative impact on sperm quality, and consequently on male-fertility.
ISSN:0301-4460
1464-5033
DOI:10.1080/03014460.2021.1957501