Lifestyle Factors and Laboratory Sperm Processing Techniques Are Correlated With Sperm Dna Fragmentation Index, Oxidative Stress Adducts, and High Dna Stainability

Purpose To determine correlation between lifestyle risk factors and sperm quality. Methods Patients (n = 133) who consented for the study completed a lifestyle questionnaire. An aliquot of sperm was frozen at three different timepoints. Preparation methods for 30 semen analysis were compared: ZyMōt Sperm Separation Device (DxNow), Isolate gradient (Irvine), SpermGrad gradient (Vitrolife), and each gradient was followed by swim-up (SU), Isolate + SU and Spermgrad + SU. All samples were analyzed using the Sperm DNA Fragmentation Assay (acridine orange/flow cytometry SDFA™). Analysis included DNA fragmentation index (DFI), oxidative stress adducts (OSA) and high DNA stainability (HDS). Statistical analysis was performed using JMP (SAS 2018) and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The neat DFI was not correlated with age, morphology, or oligospermia (< 20 million/mL). Men that consumed alcohol daily trended towards a higher DFI than those that drank multiple times per week and significantly higher than those who never drink (p = 0.0608 and p = 0.0290, respectively), but interestingly not those who drank rarely. DFI was also positively correlated with OSA and HDS in the neat and processed sample (INSEM). The DFI of the INSEM sperm sample was positively correlated with age, poor morphology, and oligospermia (p = 0.0208, p < 0.0001, p = 0.0006, respectively). There was no correlation with BMI or smoking status for neat or processed sperm health. The separation device effectively improved the DFI, OSA, and HDS compared to other methods Conclusion Lifestyle factors and preparation method is correlated with sperm quality.