What is it about?

Effective medical treatments of infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratospermia (OAT) have yet to be determined. This study considered two major aims: (i) to measure the changes in semen parameters, omega-3 fatty acids (FA) compositions and anti-oxidant activity; (ii) to determine if the administration of omega-3 FA affect semen quality in infertile men with OAT.

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Why is it important?

Male factors contribute to almost 50% of cases of infertility . The 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, Cycle 6, showed that, in the United States, 7.5% of all sexually experienced men reported a visit for help with having a child. Infertility is a medical circumstance that not only has health implications for those involved, but also is a condition linked with individual human rights.

Perspectives

Clinical experience with omega-3 fatty acids suggests that it is well tolerated, with few adverse effects other than taste perversion and eructation. The importance of research into the possible role of dietary factors in oligoasthenoteratospermic men, a common problem in community medicine, is emphasised by the fact that diet is modifiable. Our study is not without limitations. A major limitation is that we did not address pregnancy rate in treated groups. Future studies are warranted to duplicate our results and correlate them with clinical outcome parameters, such as fertilisation and pregnancy rates.

Dr Mohammad Reza Safarinejad
University of Medical Sceices

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation on semen profile and enzymatic anti-oxidant capacity of seminal plasma in infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratospermia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised study, Andrologia, December 2010, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0272.2009.01013.x.
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