Trace elements levels in the serum, urine, and semen of patients with infertility

Abstract

Background/aim: Studies suggest that trace elements may have an adverse impact on male reproduction, even at low levels. We tried to investigate the relationships between these metals and semen quality in various body fluids among men with infertility.

Materials and methods: A total of 255 samples of blood, semen, and urine were collected from 85 men suffering from infertility. Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry was used for the determination of 22 trace elements. We compared the results of the semen parameters with the results of the element determinations.

Results: Because of the high proportion of samples with values lower than the limit of detection for a number of the elements, only 8 of a total 22 trace elements were determined in the samples. When the concentrations of sperm were classified according to the World Health Organization's guidelines for normospermia, oligospermia, and azoospermia, statistically significant differences were found among Zn, Ca, Al, Cu, Mg, Se, and Sr concentrations in various serum, sperm, and urine samples (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: In the present study, we found significant correlations between concentrations of Zn, Ca, Al, Cu, Mg, Se, and Sr and semen parameters in various body fluids.