Massive Weight Loss Obtained by Bariatric Surgery Affects Semen Quality in Morbid Male Obesity: a Preliminary Prospective Double-Armed Study

Objectives The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of massive weight loss on the seminal parameters at 6 months from bariatric surgery. Design Two-armed prospective study performed in 31 morbidly obese men, undergoing laparoscopic roux-en-Y-gastric bypass ( n = 23) or non-operated ( n = 8), assessing sex hormones, conventional (sperm motility, morphology, number, semen volume), and non-conventional (DNA fragmentation and seminal interleukin-8), semen parameters, at baseline and after 6 months from surgery or patients’ recruitment. Results In operated patients only, a statistically significant improvement in the sex hormones was confirmed. Similarly, a positive trend in the progressive/total sperm motility and number was observed, though only the increase in semen volume and viability was statistically significant (Δ = 0.6 ml and 10%, P < 0.05, respectively). A decrease in the seminal interleukin-8 levels and in the sperm DNA fragmentation was also present after bariatric surgery, whereas these parameters even increased in non-operated subjects. Age-adjusted multivariate analysis showed that the BMI variations significantly correlated with the changes in the sperm morphology ( β = −0.675, P = 0.025), sperm number ( β = 0.891, P = 0.000), and semen volume ( r = 0.618, P = 0.015). Conclusion The massive weight loss obtained with bariatric surgery was associated with an improvement in some semen parameters. The correlations found between weight loss and semen parameter variations after surgery suggest that these might occur early downstream of the testis and more slowly than the changes in the sex hormones.