Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jun 20:51:54.
doi: 10.11604/pamj.2025.51.54.41953. eCollection 2025.

Semen quality of male partners of infertile couples attending a private specialist infertility hospital in Kumasi, Ghana: a retrospective descriptive analysis

John Jude Annan  1   2 , Mike Addison  2 , Anthony Enimil  3 , Collins Abaitey  4 , Robert Aryee  2 , Augustine Twumasi  2 , Fati Ibrahim  2
Affiliations

Semen quality of male partners of infertile couples attending a private specialist infertility hospital in Kumasi, Ghana: a retrospective descriptive analysis

John Jude Annan et al. Pan Afr Med J. .

Abstract

Introduction: since the establishment of the fertility center in 2014, no review has been conducted on the pattern of semen abnormalities. This study was therefore aimed at evaluating the range of semen abnormalities in our patient population.

Methods: this was an ethically approved retrospective descriptive study that retrieved and analyzed the semen analysis results of male partners of infertile couples, over a six-year period since the establishment of the fertility center. All data were entered into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and transported to R-statistical software version 3.4.2 for statistical analysis. Mean ± standard deviation (SD) was calculated for age, semen pH, volume, concentration, and motility. Categorical variables were represented by frequency (N) and percentages (%). The Chi-square test was used to determine age groups and calendar year´s association with seminal fluid characteristics. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.

Results: there were 1,224 eligible semen results with a mean age of 39.6 (SD 8.1) and a range of 21-78 years. More than half (56.7%) were very young (less than 40 years). Age group 30-39 had the highest number of clients, 622 (50.8%). The rate of abnormal semen quality was 36%. The most common semen abnormalities were oligospermia 30.5%, teratozoospermia 28.8%, asthenozoospermia 27.3%, hyperviscous semen 18.5%, and hypospermia 20.1%. The mean (SD) of semen volume and sperm concentration differed significantly between the age groups, with a p-value of 0.0000341 for semen volume and a p-value of 0.01 for sperm concentration.

Conclusion: the most common semen abnormalities were oligospermia, teratozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, hyperviscous semen, and hypospermia, with the rate of abnormal semen quality being 36%. More younger men are seeking fertility treatment with their partners.

Keywords: Semen analysis; abnormal semen parameters; male infertility; male partners; semen quality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

References

    1. Umar AG, Panti AA, Mbakwe M, Ahmed Y, Garba JA, Nnadi DC. The Pattern of Seminal Fluid Analysis among Male Partners Attending an Infertility Clinic in a Nigerian Tertiary Health Institution. OJOG. 2020;10(7):957.
    1. Bhaduri N, Sarkar AP, Dewasi N, Ghosh TK. Abnormalities in semen analysis among male partners of infertile couples: A study in a Tertiary Care Level Hospital of West Bengal, India. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2015;4:100–2.
    1. Hamilton M. Infertility. In: Edmonds DK, editor. Dewhurst´s Textbook of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell; 2012. pp. 565–79.
    1. Olajubu FA, Mope DA, Osinupebi OA, Jagun OE. Seminal Fluid Characteristics of Men Attending Infertility Clinic of a Teaching Hospital. OJMM. 2013;3(1):1–4.
    1. Juneja P, Phukan PK, Changmai D. A study of abnormal semen parameters in infertile couples in Assam, India. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2019;8:997.