October 2022 · Volume 11 · Issue 10 Page 2611 International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology Ranasinghe C et al. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2022 Oct;11(10):2611-2618 www.ijrcog.org pISSN 2320-1770 | eISSN 2320-1789 Original Research Article Lifestyle and occupation risk factors for poor semen quality: a cross sectional study in Sri Lanka Chandana Ranasinghe 1 , Yehan Gamage 1 , Ominda Perera 1 , Chaminda Karunarathna 1 , Lahiru Sandaruwan Galgamuwa 2 , Milhan Batcha 3 , Kithsiri Jayasekara 1 * INTRODUCTION Infertility is a disease unable to achieve the pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular sexual intercourse without using contraceptive methods of couples. 1,2 At present about 30 million men around the world suffer from infertility around the world, ranging from 10-15% of couples, even up to 30% in some regions. 3 More than 90% of male infertility cases are as a result of low sperm concentration and poor semen quality. 4 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20222454 1 Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka 2 Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka 3 Castle Street Teaching Hospital, Colombo, Sri Lanka Received: 18 August 2022 Revised: 13 September 2022 Accepted: 14 September 2022 *Correspondence: Dr. Kithsiri Jayasekara, E-mail: kbjayasekara@gmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Background: Infertility is a major problem all around the world. According to WHO, the rate of infertility is approximately 15% worldwide and it differ from geographical location, ethnicity and social status. Lifestyle habits, environmental and occupational hazards, physical parameters can be recognized as major risk factors which may affect male infertility. The objective of this study was to determine factors associated with male infertility in Sri Lankan context. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 299 individuals participated for an infertility clinic at Castle Street Teaching Hospital, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Socio-demographic, occupational and environmental characteristics were collected using interviewer administered questionnaire. Semen samples were collected from each participant for laboratory investigations. Sperm concentration and motility were measured. Results: Out of total participants, 30.1% of participants had a sperm concentration of <15×10⁶ and the sperm motility was <32% in 34.7% participants. Older age, tobacco smokers, using tight under wears and individuals exposed to either heat or chemical hazards were identified as risk groups with low sperm concentration and low semen volume. In addition, older age, individuals using tight under wears and individuals exposed to either heat or chemical hazards were significantly associated with low or abnormal sperm mortality. Individuals having diabetes showed a significantly higher non-motility rate of sperms. Alcohol usage, betel chewing, mumps, special radiation exposure, body mass index and waist circumference were not significantly associated with semen parameters in study population. Conclusions: Older age, tobacco smoking, wearing tight underwear, occupational exposures, and diabetes mellitus has shown a risk for the generation of poor semen parameters, which can lead to male infertility. Furthermore, it is very important to carry out extended studies regarding this problem to establish the effect of above factors. Keywords: Male infertility, Sperm concentration, Sperm motility, Occupational factors