Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To explore the reproductive hormone levels and their correlation in males with abnormal semen liquefaction time, providing evidence-based medical insights for the diagnosis and treatment of abnormal semen liquefaction. METHODS: A total of 36 male patients who exhibited a sperm liquefaction time exceeding 60 min in the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province from January 2021 to January 2023 were included. They were classified into the delayed liquefaction group. During the same period, 138 male patients with a sperm liquefaction time of ≤60 min were assigned to a normal liquefaction group. Comparative analysis was performed on reproductive hormone levels between the two groups, including follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), prolactin (PRL), as well as semen parameters such as normal morphology sperm rate, forward motility sperm rate, and sperm concentration. Pearson's correlation analysis was employed to investigate the relationship between reproductive hormones and semen liquefaction time. The effectiveness of biomarkers in predicting delayed semen liquefaction time was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: Patients with delayed semen liquefaction had significantly lower rates of normal morphology sperm, forward progressive motility, and sperm concentration when compared to patients with normal liquefaction. Significantly lower FSH, LH, and T levels were observed in patients with delayed semen liquefaction than those with normal liquefaction. Furthermore, a negative correlation was identified between serum FSH and T levels in male infertility patients and semen liquefaction time. The sensitivity of FSH for predicting semen liquefaction defects is 72.2%, whereas testosterone exhibits a sensitivity of 94.4%. CONCLUSION: The semen liquefaction time of male infertility patients is closely correlated with semen parameters and reproductive hormone levels. Specifically, FSH and T exhibit a negative correlation with semen liquefaction time.