Serum 17-Hydroxyprogesterone in Correlation With Semen Analysis Results and Hormonal Profile of Infertile Men

Abstract

Semen analysis and the evaluation of male reproductive hormones remain integral to the assessment of infertile men. Recent studies have demonstrated that serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) levels serve as a reliable marker of the intratesticular testosterone environment. This study aims to determine the correlation between serum 17-OHP levels, seminal fluid analysis (SFA), and the hormonal profiles in infertile men. In this cross-sectional study, one hundred serum and seminal fluid samples were collected from infertile men attending the Al-Kafeel IVF center, Karbala, from October 2024 to May 2025. Participants were divided into four groups according to their SFA results. All included men underwent seminal fluid analysis according to WHO 2021 guidelines, and serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), total testosterone (TT), prolactin, estradiol (E2), and 17-OHP were measured using the ELISA technique. The current study showed no significant correlation between 17-OHP and any of the measured hormones in the normozoospermia group, and a strong, statistically significant negative correlation between serum 17-OHP and FSH across all groups (r= -0.375, P=0.000). There was also a negative correlation between sperm concentration and serum 17-OHP across all groups (r= -0.234, P=0.019). In the asthenozoospermia group, serum 17-OHP exhibited a highly significant negative correlation with sperm concentration and semen viscosity (r= -0.670, P=0.001) and (r= -0.590, P=0.005), respectively. A significant positive correlation was found between serum 17-OHP and sperm motility in the asthenozoospermia group (r=0.538, P=0.012), and a positive correlation with round cells in the oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) group (r=0.438, P=0.025). The study emphasizes the complex relationship between 17-OHP levels and sperm parameters. Although 17-OHP showed a strong negative association with FSH, statistically significant correlations may still have limited or unclear clinical implications, necessitating further studies.