Effetto dell’ansia di stato e di tratto sulla qualità del liquido seminale in pazienti programmati per la fecondazione in vitro.

We have analyzed the relationship between semen quality and psychological conditions relative to state and trait anxiety, among 59 volunteer men enrolled in an in vitro fertilization (IVF) program. To this end, we analyzed patient’s semen volume, sperm concentration, total count, motility and DNA fragmentation and levels of anxiety and psychological stress measured by the ”State and Trait Anxiety Inventory” (STAI) Y and “Self-perceived impact of physical disturbance on everyday activities” (WSAS) scale. Patients analyzed were at their first IVF attempt to exclude that the experience of previous cycles may influence psychological responses. Both state and trait anxiety were associated to a lower total sperm count and were found to interact with each other: in fact, high state anxiety had a strong negative impact on total sperm count of subjects with low trait anxiety but not on that of subjects with high trait anxiety. At a cellular/subcellular level, state but not trait anxiety influenced sperm motility negatively, while both psychological conditions were associated to increased sperm DNA fragmentation. These results suggest that high levels of state anxiety and to a lesser extent trait anxiety represent a serious risk factor for male infertility, acting on both semen parameters and sperm subcellular structure and viability. Alterations of neuroendocrine pathways and lack of protection from seminal plasma hyperoxidation in consequence of stress and psychological disturbances may have a role in the effects observed.