Comparative study of sperm motility in Metformin-using and Insulin-dependent diabetics

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) represents one of the greatest threats to modern global health. DM may affect male reproductive function at multiple levels as a result of its effects on spermatogenesis, sperm motility, sperm morphology, and change in sperm structure. Methods: The present study deals with sperm motility and sperm morphological changes associated with diabetes in the male population. In this study, 50 insulin-dependent and 50 metformin users were selected, with ages of males ranging from 26-54 years and duration of diabetes distributed over 3-15 years. Both insulin-dependent and metformin-using diabetic subjects were evaluated for sperm analysis. Results: Sperm analysis data showed a significant increase (p ±0.0005) in total sperm count in insulin-dependent diabetic men. However, sperm motility was found to be about 10-15% less in insulin-dependent patients compared to metformin users. Moreover, sperm morphology was improved in 6% of metformin users compared to insulin-dependent diabetics. Conclusion: Our study concludes that metformin does not significantly affect sperm count. However, it does significantly affect sperm motility, when compared to insulin-dependent diabetic men. This study established an important relationship between diabetes and sperm motility, which reflects the reproductive capabilities of men.