The association of socioeconomic status with semen parameters in a cohort of men in the United States

Background: Socioeconomic differences are present within the population of men who experience infertility and seek treatment.

Objective: To study the association of socioeconomic status with semen parameters in a group of men using mail-in semen analyses.

Materials and methods: The records of 11,134 men that used mail-in semen analyses from a fertility company were identified. Their demographic information, semen parameters, and ZIP codes were collected. Area deprivation index (ADI) was used as a proxy for socioeconomic status and was calculated for each individual using their ZIP codes in order to measure their level of socioeconomic deprivation. A higher ADI signifies a more deprived area. The association between ADI and the semen parameters of this group was measured using linear regression analysis adjusted for age.

Results: 11,134 men were included in the study with a median age of 35 years (interquartile range (IQR): 32-40) and a median ADI of 83 (IQR: 68-97). The cohort had a median sperm concentration of 31 million/mL (IQR: 14-59), median total sperm count of 123 million (IQR: 57-224), median total motile sperm of 35 million (IQR: 9-95), median total motility of 32% (IQR: 15-52), progressive motility of 22% (IQR: 9-38), and morphology percent normal of 4% (IQR: 2-7). Higher ADI, indicating lower socioeconomic status, was negatively associated with various semen parameters, including sperm concentration, total sperm count, total motile sperm, and total and progressive motility.

Discussion and conclusion: Men who live in more deprived areas are more likely to have worse semen parameters. Further research is needed to thoroughly examine the impact of socioeconomic status on male fertility. A comprehensive approach that targets upstream social, economic, and healthcare factors can possibly alleviate the negative association of socioeconomic status with fertility and semen parameters.