A retrospective analysis of semen samples and reproductive hormones in Africa and the middle east

Abstract

Semen analysis is the cornerstone for the investigation of male infertility. Semen quality can be influenced by geographical location, age, ejaculatory abstinence, and season. In 2010, the WHO published criteria for human semen characteristics that were markedly lower than those previously reported. Many reports have discussed the methodology used by the WHO to set the 2010 reference values. Some of the limitations of the WHO (2010) study included an undefined ejaculatory abstinence period, the limited representation of different age groups, and a limitation in geographical representation as the study did not include any data from Africa and Middle East. Therefore, the current cohort study was designed to provide retrospective data on semen quality (Africa and Middle East) and reproductive hormones (Middle East) in patients who underwent semen analysis and endocrine investigation at Andrology Laboratories in South Africa and Qatar.