The relationship between post-earthquake trauma levels and semen quality in adult men: a cross-sectional study from Turkey

Background: The study aimed to evaluate the semen quality of male patients who received infertility treatment after the earthquakes using the Post-Earthquake Trauma Level Determination Scale. Methods: The Post-Earthquake Trauma Level Determination Scale (PETLDS) was applied to 148 male patients who presented to the Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) Center in the 6 months after 06 February 2023, to evaluate the semen parameters. Results: The city where the study was conducted had relatively less destruction compared to other cities in the earthquake area, and the average score obtained from the PETLDS among our patients was 39.52 ± 15.75. It was found that, with high post-earthquake trauma levels, behavioral problems (r = 0.738, p < 0.001), emotional limitation level (r = 0.842, p < 0.001) and sleep problems (r = 0.816, p < 0.001) increased, and forward progressive sperm counts decreased (r = −0.162, p < 0.05), while other semen parameters were not affected. Conclusions: It was understood that emotional limitations and sleep problems were more common in individuals with high Post-Earthquake Trauma Levels, the psychological impact was greater, and the physical reflection of stress was also high in these individuals, and this effect could cause a decrease in the number of progressively motile sperm in the male reproductive system.