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Anthropometric, lifestyle changes in men could improve couples' fertility
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SAN DIEGO — Male partners of women with obesity and infertility tend to have obesity themselves, along with poor lifestyle habits relative to the Canadian male population, according to research presented at The Endocrine Society annual meeting.
In a controlled prospective cohort study, nested in a randomized-controlled trial, the ability to conceive increased for couples with men who had positive anthropometric and behavioral changes, according to researchers.
“This is the first prospective study suggesting that male partners who improved their weight and dietary habits also increased the odds for the couple to conceive,” Jean-Patrice Baillargeon, MD, MSc, of the University of Sherbrooke, Quebec, said in a press conference.
Jean-Patrice Baillargeon
Baillargeon, with Matea Belan, MSc, a graduate student at the university, and colleagues assessed the effects of a lifestyle intervention in 65 male partners (mean age, 33 years) in couples referred to the fertility clinic at a Canadian academic center
The men were evaluated for anthropometry (weight, fat mass percentage, waist circumference) and lifestyle habits at baseline and either 12 month or 18 months or time of a pregnancy. Roughly half of the women, along with their partners, were randomly assigned to the interventions; sessions with a kinesiologist and a nutritionist, group sessions featuring workshops on nutrition or psychology, and physical activity were offered.
The investigators used Student’s t tests for comparisons and stepwise multiple logistic regression to determine independent male predictors of pregnancy.
Obesity was greater among male partners compared with the Canadian male population aged 18 to 39 years (47% vs. 23%, P < .001) as was abdominal obesity (waist circumference ≥ 102cm; 53% vs. 21%, P < .001). The men also were less active than the broader population (29% vs. 58%, P < .001) and less frequently ate at least five fruits and vegetables per day (12% vs. 35%, P < .001) or a breakfast (43% vs. 81%, P < .001).
Anthropometry and lifestyle improvements were seen with intervention after a median time of follow-up of 14.8 months (n = 46), but the changes were not significant. A larger proportion of men in couples who conceived lost weight vs. men in couples who did not (38.5% vs. 10%, P = .03) and the weight loss was greater (–0.32kg ± 4.55 vs. 2.68 ± 3.19, respectively, P = .02); male partners in couples who conceived also had greater lifestyle improvements.
The three significant independent male predictors of pregnancy were weight loss (P = .04 for BMI), eating more breakfasts weekly (P = .02) and eating at least five fruits and vegetables per day (P = .05).
“These results support the development of lifestyle intervention targeted to male partners in order to improve a couple’s fertility. Just the female intervention does not induce enough changes,” Baillargeon said. – by Allegra Tiver
Reference:
Belan M. Poster Board THR-136. Presented at: The Endocrine Society Annual Meeting; March 5-8, 2015, San Diego.
Disclosure: Baillargeon reports no relevant financial disclosures.