Danish Semen Quality Database Study - DaSe
Launched early 2019 and expected to run until the end of 2030
Background and Aim
Reduced semen quality is associated with increased risk of later hospitalization and mortality, and only among a minority can this be explained by comorbidities present at the time of infertility work-up and semen quality assessment. Further knowledge about this association would enable preventive initiatives to improve the future health of infertile men, which is the main aim of this study to provide.
Study Design
The Danish Semen Quality Database (DaSe) includes semen quality data on almost 80,000 men delivering a semen sample from 1965-2015 at the public semen analysis laboratory in the Copenhagen area, The Copenhagen Primary Care Laboratory. Men were referred to the laboratory by a general practitioner, urologist or gynecologist for a screening for semen quality due to reported couple infertility and prior to determination of additionally needed diagnostics or treatments. Semen results therefore represent a wide spectrum of semen quality from azoospermia to men having superior semen quality. The semen quality data has been linked to Danish nationwide registries to obtain follow-up information on vital status and incidence of major chronic diseases (all types of diagnoses and medication use). The information on the time of diagnosis or initiation of treatment will allow us to distinguish between existing comorbidities at time of infertility work-up and later onset diseases. The registry linkage will also allow us to consider socioeconomic factors that could partly explain an association between semen quality and health.
The Research Group
Key EDMaRC researchers involved are Lærke Priskorn and Niels Jørgensen. The project is carried out in collaboration with Rune Lindahl-Jacobsen, Odense University Hospital, Tina Kold Jensen, Odense University Hospital, and Christen BL Andersen, University of Copenhagen.
Funding
The study has previously received funding from the Research Fund of the Capital Region of Denmark, and the work of Lærke Priskorn is currently funded from Johan and Hanne Weimann, f. Seedforff’s grant. None of the funders have any role in the study design, data collection, analysis or interpretation of data, or publication decisions.
Key senior EDMaRC researchers involved in the project:
MScPH, PhD.
MD, PhD, Senior Researcher