Semen quality of male partners of infertile couples attending a private specialist infertility hospital in Kumasi, Ghana: a retrospective descriptive analysis.

Introduction: since the establishment of the fertility center in 2014, no review has been conducted on the pattern of semen abnormalities. This study was therefore aimed at evaluating the range of semen abnormalities in our patient population.

Methods: this was an ethically approved retrospective descriptive study that retrieved and analyzed the semen analysis results of male partners of infertile couples, over a six-year period since the establishment of the fertility center. All data were entered into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and transported to R-statistical software version 3.4.2 for statistical analysis. Mean ± standard deviation (SD) was calculated for age, semen pH, volume, concentration, and motility. Categorical variables were represented by frequency (N) and percentages (%). The Chi-square test was used to determine age groups and calendar year´s association with seminal fluid characteristics. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.

Results: there were 1,224 eligible semen results with a mean age of 39.6 (SD 8.1) and a range of 21-78 years. More than half (56.7%) were very young (less than 40 years). Age group 30-39 had the highest number of clients, 622 (50.8%). The rate of abnormal semen quality was 36%. The most common semen abnormalities were oligospermia 30.5%, teratozoospermia 28.8%, asthenozoospermia 27.3%, hyperviscous semen 18.5%, and hypospermia 20.1%. The mean (SD) of semen volume and sperm concentration differed significantly between the age groups, with a p-value of 0.0000341 for semen volume and a p-value of 0.01 for sperm concentration.

Conclusion: the most common semen abnormalities were oligospermia, teratozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, hyperviscous semen, and hypospermia, with the rate of abnormal semen quality being 36%. More younger men are seeking fertility treatment with their partners.