A retrospective study investigating semen parameter profiles among male patients attending a fertility center in the UAE: Insights from a nationality perspective.

Objectives: The current study assessed the epidemiological trends of semen phenotypes and their association with ethnicity among men seeking fertility treatment in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods: This retrospective study assessed the anthropometric information including age, body mass index (BMI), and nationality, along with semen parameters of men who visited a Fertility Center in Abu Dhabi, UAE between January 2011 and July 2022. To understand the epidemiological trend of semen parameters amongst UAE nationals, propensity score analysis and logistic regression were performed. Thus, the exposure variable of interest is ethnicity, categorized into UAE nationals (Emirati) and Others (minus UAE; Global). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS, R packages and STATA. Results: In this study, 32,664 samples were collected from 19,482 patients from 113 countries worldwide over a period of 11 years. Most participants made multiple visits, with around 40 % attending at least once. Following covariates adjustment, logistic regression indicated a non-significant increase (4 %) in the prevalence of asthenozoospermia among the UAE population compared to Global. Further modeling adjusted for propensity score and Emirati status suggested that Emiratis were 13 % less likely to have lower total sperm count (TSC) compared to Global (p < 0.001). Whereas approximately 58 % of UAE nationals' samples exhibited teratozoospermia compared to 56 % in other nationalities. After adjusting for confounders, analysis revealed a significantly higher prevalence (12 %) of teratozoospermia among Emiratis compared to other nationals. Conclusion: Samples from UAE nationals displayed reduced sperm motility and normal morphology but increased TSC. While the underlying cause of these observed phenotypes was not investigated, it is worth noting that all the men including those from other nationalities resided in the UAE and were subjected to the same climate. Thus, other factors, such as ethnicity, may have primarily influenced the differences observed in these parameters, with genetic makeup also potentially contributing to these outcomes.