The association of men's beverage intake with semen quality and assisted reproduction outcomes in patients undergoing fertility treatment

Background: Although some studies have investigated the relationships between beverage intake and reproductive health these have generated conflicting results.

Objectives: To evaluate the associations between men's beverage intake and semen quality parameters and couple outcomes of medically assisted reproduction.

Material and methods: The relationship between preconception beverage intake and semen quality was evaluated in 896 semen samples from 343 men. The relation between beverage intake and medically assisted reproduction outcomes (fertilization, implantation, clinical pregnancy, total/clinical pregnancy loss, and live birth) was evaluated in 296 men and their female partners who underwent 714 medically assisted reproduction cycles: 306 intrauterine insemination cycles and 408 in vitro fertilization. Intake of caffeinated, alcoholic, sugar-sweetened, and artificially sweetened beverages and sub-groups were considered as exposures.

Results: Caffeinated, alcoholic, sugar-sweetened, and artificially sweetened beverage intake was not associated with semen quality parameters or with fertilization, implantation, clinical pregnancy, or live birth in couples undergoing medically assisted reproduction. When specific types of beverages were explored, there was an inverse association between a greater intake of coffee/tea with caffeine and lower live birth probabilities in couples undergoing in vitro fertilization cycles. The adjusted probabilities (95% confidence interval) of live birth in the lowest and highest tertiles of intake were 0.49 (0.38, 0.61) and 0.33 (0.24, 0.43) for coffee with caffeine, and 0.49 (0.33, 0.51) and 0.31 (0.22, 0.41) for tea with caffeine. A similar trend was detected with liquor intake and live birth probabilities: 0.45 (0.37, 0.53) and 0.32 (0.25, 0.41). We also found an association between a greater beer intake and higher live birth probabilities. The adjusted probabilities (95% confidence interval) in the lowest and highest quartile of intake were 0.32 (0.23, 0.42) and 0.51 (0.39, 0.62).

Conclusion: Male preconception intakes of coffee, tea, and liquor were inversely associated, whereas beer intake was positively associated with the probability of live birth during infertility treatment.