Land use and semen quality: A fertility center cohort study

Abstract

This study explored the association between built environment and semen parameters among men who sought fertility evaluation. We used a data of 5,886 men living in the Seoul capital area whose semen was tested at a single fertility center during 2016-2018. Distance to fresh water, the coast, major roadways, and neighborhood greenness measured by Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were evaluated. Outcome indicators were semen volume, sperm concentration, percentage of progressive motility, vitality, normal morphology, and total motile sperm count. Linear regression models were fitted to standardized values of six semen indicators. Majority of men were white-collar, clerical, and service workers. Linear associations between built environment features and semen quality indicators were not evident except for NDVI within 500 m and sperm vitality (beta = 0.05; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.01, 0.09). The 2(nd) quartile of distance to fresh water was associated with lower progressive motility compared to the 1(st) quartile (beta = -0.10; 95% CI: -0.17, -0.03). Proportion of vitality was higher among men in the 2(nd) quartile of distance to roadways than those in the 1(st) quartile (0.08; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.15). Men in the 2(nd) quartile of NDVI had higher total motile sperm count (0.09; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.17). In the multi-exposure model, the positive association between NDVI and vitality remained (0.03; 95% CI: 0.00, 0.06). We observed potential evidence regarding the impact of built environment on male fertility, specifically a positive association between residential greenness and sperm vitality among men with a history of infertility.