Emerging Role of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Body Mass Index on Semen Parameters of Infertile Men

The curiosity on possible association between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and infertility has gained considerable toehold over the recent years. Infertility, obesity and obstructive sleep apnea exhibit a vicious circle and, hence, their interrelationships are being explored incessantly. Our objective is to determine the influence of body mass index and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) on semen quality of infertile men. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 60 infertile male participants. Individuals were grouped based on their BMI. OSA screening was done with STOPBANG questionnaire, and risk stratification was done according to the scoring system. Semen analysis was done in accordance with WHO 2010 guidelines. Participants with normal BMI were 16 (26.7%) while 27 (45%) participants were overweight and 17 (28.3%) were obese. OSA risk stratification showed that 16.7% were at high risk for OSA, 40% were at moderate risk and 43.3% were at low risk. High OSA risk among infertile men was significantly associated with sperm concentration (p= 0.03) whereas elevated BMI had significant association with semen volume (p= 0.04). Certain seminal characteristics had a conceivable relation with both OSA risk and increased BMI. Hence, screening for OSA and maintaining an ideal body weight might improve the reproductive potential.