ANS- Worldwide, about 8–12% of couples of reproductive age have been reported to be affected by infertility (Kumar N, J Hum Reprod Sci. 2015).
ANS- Males are considered to be the only cause of infertility in almost 20% of all cases and are at least partly contributing to another 30–40% of cases (Sharlip ID, Fertil Steril. 2002).
ANS- Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are produced as natural byproducts of oxygen during metabolism and play important roles in cell signaling and homeostasis. Sources of ROS can be endogenous or exogenous and the body's antioxidant defense mechanism aims to neutralise the harmful effects of these pro-oxidant molecules.
-ROS plays an important role in sperm maturation, capacitation, acrosome reaction, and other functional competence of human spermatozoa when produced in moderate amounts. Howev-er, when ROS generation is excessive and/or the antioxidant defences of the reproductive system are compromised, a state of oxidative stress may be induced that disrupts the fertilis-ing capacity of the spermatozoa & their DNA’s structural integrity.
-Sperms are susceptible to oxidative damage due to their cell membrane structure which is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and they have limited antioxidant capacity.
-Despite of advances in diagnosing male infertility, almost half of all cases are still idiopathic (for which no etiological factor has been identified), oxidative stress could be a major con-tributor among these cases as proposed by various studies.
ANS- Various modifiable factors, like exposure to environmental pollutants, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, smoking, alcohol, stress, anxiety, obesity, sedenatry lifestyle, and med-ical co-morbidities can contribute to the deterioration in semen quality. Oxidative damage is one of the basic mechanisms involved in the etiopathogenesis of these illnesses.
In patients with genital tract infection, the presence of elevated levels of leukocytes leads to oxidative stress in semen, which is associated with suboptimal semen quality and impaired fertility potential (51–54).
Another source of Oxidative stress is a varicocele testis. Varicocele is an abnormal distention of the testicular veins in the scrotum, causing increased production of Reactive Oxygen Spe-cies.
-As it is evident that the majority of these factors are related to lifestyles and environmental factors and can be reversed or modified like smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, envi-ronmental pollutants from the workplace, medical conditions, etc.
-The extent of damage to spermatozoa may vary depending on the concentrations and type of reactive molecules, duration of exposure, antioxidant efficiency, and corrective measures taken.
ANS- When trying naturally: Unable to conceive, repeated miscarriage, etc.
During IVF - low fertilisation and poor quality of embryos, poor blastocyst formation, repeat-ed implantation failure, repeated miscarriage, etc.
ANS- DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI) can be advised to assess the DNA damage of sperms.
ANS- Lifestyle modifications like smoking and alcohol cessation
-Exercise
-Weight reduction
-Treatment of infection by giving antibiotics
-Antioxidants therapy
-Control of medical diseases like Diabetes, hypertension
-Frequent ejaculation
-Various sperm selection procedures like Magnetic Activated Cell Sorting (MACS) for IVF, etc.
