IMPORTANCE Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been proposed as a risk factor in infertility.However, to date, the association between OSA and male infertility has not been examined in a populationbased study.OBJECTIVE To investigate the risk factor of OSA in male infertility and the outcome of OSA treatment for the risk of male infertility.
Objectives
To determine the risk of having OSA in a cohort of female subjects who are infertile and the odds of being infertile in women with OSA.
Patients and methods
A nationwide, case-control study of female patients 20 years or older diagnosed with female infertility living in Taiwan, from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2013 (N = 4,078). We identified women who were infertile and created a 2:1 matched control group with women who were not infertile. We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to further estimate the effects of OSA on female infertility.
Results
In this 14- year retrospective study, we included 4,078 patients having an initial diagnosis of female infertility. Of those women with infertility, 1.38% had a history of OSA compared with 0.63% of fertile controls (p = 0.002). The mean ages in the study groups were 32.19 ± 6.20 years, whereas the mean ages in the control groups were 32.24 ± 6.37years. Women with OSA had 2.101- times the risk of female infertility compared to women without OSA (p<0.001).
Conclusion
Our study showed that OSA is more commonly seen in infertile women and increases the odds that a woman will be infertile. More studies need to be done on the whether or not diagnosing and treating OSA can decrease the rate of infertility.
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