Obesity: a potential cause of varicocele leading to male infertility

Male infertility is the root cause of social, psychological, economic, and medical problems. Obesity, culminating in varicocele, is one of the leading causes of male infertility. Veins of the lower abdomen are compressed by excessive subcutaneous fat, and the return of blood from the scrotum is compromised. This increases the intratesticular temperature, which decreases sperm quality. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of obesity on male infertility, particularly varicocele development. This cross-sectional study was conducted for 18 months with 172 men. The participants were categorized into obese and nonobese groups. Color Doppler ultrasound was performed to detect varicocele and related conditions. A chi-square test was applied to determine the associations between obesity and infertility with respect to varicocele. A significant association of varicocele with obesity was noted (p<0.05). The odds of the development of varicocele in obese individuals was 2.4 and the relative risk was 2.12 compared to nonobese individuals. In the nonobese group, 22 (25.5%) and 41 (47.67%) patients in the obese group were infertile. Compared with 25.5% of nonobese and infertile subjects, 47.6% of obese and infertile subjects concluded that a greater percentage of obese and infertile subjects were diagnosed with varicocele than nonobese and infertile subjects.