Stress affects men doing IVF perhaps not as much as women, but enough for it to have a negative impact on sperm quality. For this reason acupuncture is a useful adjunct to the IVF treatment for men as well as women.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship
between psychological stress and semen quality among
men undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF). We assessed
psychological variables, including self-reported stress, and
sperm parameters in a group of 40 men undergoing IVF
for the first time at a pre-IVF sampling period (T1) and
at the time of egg retrieval (T2). Thirty-one patients
completed the study. Results indicated that total and motile
sperm concentration, total motile spermatozoa, and lateral
head displacement decreased significantly from T1 to T2
in a high percentage of participants. In addition, the
perceived importance of producing a semen specimen
increased significantly (P J 0.001) from T1 to T2, and
this change was significantly correlated (P < 0.05) with
diminished semen quality at the time of oocyte retrieval.
No decline in the semen quality or increase in perceived
stress at egg retrieval was observed at T2 in male factor
patients (n J 7). This study provides evidence for a
significant decline in semen quality of male IVF patients
at egg retrieval and demonstrates an inverse relationship
between semen quality and specific aspects of psychological
stress.
