Frequency of Monthly Ejaculation at Sexual Intercourse, DNA Fragmentation Index and Fertilization Rate among Sperm Donors and Fertility-Challenged Men in Sub-Saharan Africa: Paper 2

Abstract

Introduction: Heterogenous sexual intercourse often produces a powerful orgasm that stimulates the pituitary function. Studies have suggested ejaculation frequency based on age. Materials and Methods: Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect information from subjects. Semen samples were collected from sperm donors and sub-fertile men who presented for infertility challenges. Processing and analysis of semen samples were done according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Sperm deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragmentation was evaluated using the Halosperm kit. Results: Among sperm donors, those aged <40 years were twice as likely to have very low (1-5) frequency of monthly ejaculations at sexual intercourse (MESI) compared to those aged ≥40 years (χ 2 = 0.09, P-value = 0.81, OR = 3.2, 95% CI: 0.23, 45.19) while among sub-fertile men those aged ≥40 years were approximately 2.3 times more likely to have very low frequency of MESI compared to aged <40 years (χ 2 = 2.11, P-value = 0.51, OR = 2.27, 95% CI: 0.74, 9.92). The frequency of all categories of MESI was highest among sub-fertile men aged <40 and those aged ≥40 years who never smoked or who never used herbal teas. There was no consistency in the frequency of MESI among those who never took alcohol in both age groups. Overall, systolic blood pressure (mmHg) declined gradually as frequency of MESI increased though the observed decline was not statistically significant (F-test = 0.19, P-value = 0.90). Sub-fertile men aged ≥40 with systolic hypertension (≥140 mmHg