It seems that when we talk about infertility, problems getting pregnant… We think that the origin of this infertility is always in the woman. Nothing could be further from the truth. In 30% of cases this is the case, in another percentage it is a male factor and in the remaining percentage of cases the origin of infertility is unknown. But has the case of infertile men in our practices increased in the last two decades? The answer to this question is in the study that we are presenting today.
First study that compares semen quality at a regional level in Spain
This study, carried out by IVI Bilbao and the IVI Foundation, reflects the evolution of semen quality in patients from our clinics in Spain in the last 20 years. In addition, the results allow us to make this assessment both nationally and by autonomous community.
“This is the first study that compares this evolution at a regional level in Spain over the last two decades, in addition to having a sample of 120,000 patients for this purpose, the largest sample size to date for a study of these characteristics. To give us an idea, the manual of the WHO, to establish the normal parameters of semen quality, has been carried out with a sample of less than 4,000 men from all over the world; the sample of our study is 30 times larger, which allows us to provide the results obtained with significant reliability and rigor”explains the doctor nicholas garridodirector of the IVI Foundation and supervisor of the study.
Is semen quality worse now than 20 years ago?
As we have advanced, it may be thought that semen quality has been deteriorating over time and confirming this suspicion was the starting signal for this study. The results reflect this decrease in communities such as Madrid or the Basque Country. But, for their part, contrasts are also observed with the results of patients from other communities, who do not follow this trend.
“The ranking of greatest semen deterioration is led by Madrid, where patients treated at our headquarters located in the capital have experienced a decrease in their semen quality of 76% in the last 2 decades. This means that, each year that passes, the total number of progressive motile spermatozoa decreases by approximately 7 million – an indicator that allows us to know with greater certainty the evolution of the seminal drop in the period of time analyzed. In this sense, IVI patients treated at our Madrid headquarters have gone from having about 200 million of the total number of progressive mobiles to about 48 at present”says Dr. Garrido.
Madrid and the Basque Country, the communities with the worst seminal quality
Patients from Madrid are followed by those from the Basque Country, with a decrease in sperm quality of 70%. Next on the list are the Canary Islands, with a deterioration of 47%, and Aragón, with a fall of 42%, since the year 2000.
In this regard, there are several studies that have delved into this subject, demonstrating a progression in semen quality worldwide, in different areas, but never in this detail in Spain. Therefore, this confirms the suspicion that the infertile patient is becoming more so. But can we talk about this deterioration in a general way in Spain?
“Although at the national level this study shows a general decrease in semen quality, the truth is that it fluctuates between the different regions. And it is that, paradoxically, autonomous communities such as Galicia or Catalonia have not seen their seminal quality suffer in the years analysed”adds Dr. Garrido.
A study that will be presented at the next IVIRMA Congress
The seminogram -or spermiogram- is the test carried out in andrology laboratories to analyze the samples of men. The parameters of these tests, analyzed for this work, have been the volume of the ejaculate, the concentration of spermatozoa, motility and a compound of them: the percentage of progressive motile spermatozoa per ejaculate. It is this last indicator that yields the most reliable results, extracted from this study. In this sense, it should be noted that this research will be presented in the tenth edition of the IVIRMA Congress. With biennial editions, it will be held between April 20 and 22, in Malaga.
“We have a wide casuistry, which has allowed us to carry out an exhaustive analysis in each of the variables and obtain data as striking as the ones we share in this investigation. Although it is true that recently the perception of low semen quality has aroused great media and social interest, the causes that may be causing this deterioration in sperm quality can be very varied. However, there is an important factor that we cannot ignore regarding this figure. And it is that IVI is a world leader in the treatment of infertility, so the most complex cases come to our clinics to solve their reproductive problems. This study is not done in males from the general public, but in infertile patients”concludes Dr. Garrido.
