title: Association of vitamin D status with semen quality and reproductive hormones in Iranian subfertile men.
abstract: Although vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common health problems throughout the world, including Iran, conflicting information exists on the potential association between serum vitamin D levels and semen quality. This study intended to evaluate the association between serum vitamin D [25(OH) D3] with semen quality and hormones in Iranian subfertile men. We also compared mean vitamin D and hormone levels in normospermic men with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) men. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 278 men who were referred to Royan Infertility Clinic (Tehran, Iran) from March to September 2014. The participants were categorized into two groups; of 186 normospermic and 92 OAT patients according to World Health Organization 2010 criteria. Each participant provided informed consent prior to launching research. Participants completed two general questionnaires of nutritional status. Blood and semen samples were obtained for assessment, and all data were adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI), and season. Vitamin D levels were classified according to Institute of Medicine guidelines. Vitamin D deficiency, insufficiency, and normal levels were observed in 8.6%, 43.6%, 47.8% of participants, respectively. No association was found between daily dietary intake of vitamin D and calcium with sperm parameters. Serum vitamin D was inversely correlated with PTH (p < 0.045). In normospermic men, serum vitamin D levels categorized were not correlated with semen parameters and reproductive hormones (FSH, LH, testosterone(T), and FT), whereas sperm motility showed a positive correlation with vitamin D categorized in OAT men (rs = 0.131, p = 0.028). In conclusion, there was a high incidence of deficiency and insufficiency 25(OH) D Levels (<20ng/ml) observed in Iranian men (52.2%). Moreover, our findings showed a correlation between vitamin D levels and sperm motility in OAT men, which requires further studies.
authors: Department of Embryology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Sh
authors: S
authors: Abbasihormozi
authors: Department of Embryology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Kouhkan
authors: Department of Animal Science, Saveh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Saveh, Iran.
authors: A R
authors: AR
authors: Alizadeh
authors: Department of Embryology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
authors: A H
authors: AH
authors: Shahverdi
authors: Department of Reproductive Biotechnology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran.
authors: M H
authors: MH
authors: Nasr-Esfahani
authors: Department of Andrology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.|Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: M A
authors: MA
authors: Sadighi Gilani
authors: Department of Andrology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Salman Yazdi
authors: Department of Embryology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Matinibehzad
authors: Department of Endocrinology and Female Infertility, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Z
authors: Z
authors: Zolfaghari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D053627:Asthenozoospermia / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D002112:Calcifediol / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D012661:Semen; D055101:Semen Analysis; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000502:physiology; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D002112:Calcifediol
keywords: hormone profile; male infertility; semen quality; vitamin D status