Objective: To evaluate the relationship between male age and the degree of sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) in patients attending an assisted reproduction clinic.
Methods: 273 seminal samples were analysed and classified into three age groups: <35 years, 35–41 years, and >41 years. The DNA fragmentation index (%DFI) was determined, and correlation tests (Spearman and Pearson), linear regression, and between-group comparison (Kruskal–Wallis) were applied.
Results: a positive and significant correlation was observed between age and %DFI (Spearman p = 0.136, p = 0.0245; Pearson r = 0.210, p = 0.00046). For each additional year of age, the %DFI increased by 0.61 percentage points. The >41 years group had the highest mean fragmentation (24.3%).
Conclusion: advanced male age is significantly associated with increased sperm DNA fragmentation. This finding highlights the importance of including fragmentation analysis in the diagnostic evaluation of male fertility.
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