Abstract
Background: The study aimed to investigate the relationship between seminal oxidative stress, measured by the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) index, and sexual function in men within infertile couples.
Materials and methods: 183 men from couples diagnosed with infertility who visited and received treatment at the Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy. The patient needs to be able to obtain a semen sample thru masturbation, have complete information, and agree to participate in the study. The patient's male genitalia were examined and sexual function was assessed using the IIEF-15 scale. Semen samples were analyzed for oxidative stress results using the oxidation-reduction potential balance method.
Results: Patients with increased ORP levels in semen had a lower rate of achieving good orgasm compared to the normal ORP group (69.4% vs. 77.0%; p=0.049). Similarly, this was observed in the characteristic of overall satisfaction with sexual life (37.2% versus 50.8%; p=0.006). The ORP value is inversely correlated with the total score indicating orgasm and sexual life satisfaction. However, the correlation level is weak (-0.247 and -0.211; p=0.040 and p=0.045).
Conclusion: Seminal oxidative stress, determined by redox balance measurement, is associated with orgasm disorders and reduced overall sexual life satisfaction.
| Published | 2026-06-24 | |
| Fulltext |
|
|
| Language |
|
|
| Issue | Vol. 16 No. ONLINE FIRST (2026) | |
| Section | Original Articles | |
| DOI | 10.34071/jmp.2026.5.946 | |
| Keywords | sexual dysfunction, erectile dysfunction, oxidative stress rối loạn chức năng tình dục, rối loạn cương, stress oxy hóa |

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hue Journal of Medicine and Pharmacy
Inhorn MC, Patrizio P. Infertility around the globe: new thinking on gender, reproductive technologies and global movements in the 21st century. Hum Reprod Update. 2015;21(4):411-426.
Baldi E, Gallagher MT, Krasnyak S, et al. Extended semen examinations in the sixth edition of the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen: contributing to the understanding of the function of the male reproductive system. Fertil Steril. 2022;117(2):252-257.
Agarwal A, Saleh RA and Bedaiwy MA. Role of reactive oxygen species in the pathophysiology of human reproduction. Fertil Steril. 2003;79(4):829–843.
Barati E, Nikzad H, and Karimian M. Oxidative stress and male infertility: current knowledge of pathophysiology and role of antioxidant therapy in disease management. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2020;77(1):93-113.
Aitken RJ, Jones KT, Robertson SA. Reactive oxygen species and sperm function. Hum Reprod. 2012;27(7):1793–1806.
Ritchie C, Ko EY. Oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of male infertility. Andrologia. 2021;53(1):e13581.
Corona G, Isidori AM, Aversa A, Burnett AL, Maggi M. Endocrinologic control of men’s sexual desire and arousal/erection. J Sex Med. 2016;13(3):317–337.
Rosen RC, Riley A, Wagner G, et al. The international index of erectile function (IIEF): a multidimensional scale for assessment of erectile dysfunction. Urology. 1997;49(6):822-830.
Agarwal A, Panner Selvam MK, Arafa M, et al. Multi-center evaluation of oxidation-reduction potential by the MiOXSYS in males with abnormal semen. Asian J Androl. 2019;21(6):565-569.
Sikka S. Relative Impact of Oxidative Stress on Male Reproductive Function. Current medicinal chemistry. 2001;8:851-62.
Agarwal A, Nandipati KC, Sharma RK, Zippe CD, Raina R. Role of oxidative stress in the pathophysiological mechanism of erectile dysfunction. J Androl. 2006 May-Jun;27(3):335-47.
Mostafa T, Anis T, Imam H, El-Nashar AR, Osman IA. Seminal reactive oxygen species-antioxidant relationship in fertile males with and without varicocele. Andrologia. 2009 Apr;41(2):125-9.
Nguyen ND, Le MT, Dang HNT, Van Nguyen T, Nguyen QHV, Cao TN. Impact of semen oxidative stress on sperm quality: initial results from Vietnam. J Int Med Res. 2023 Aug;51(8):3000605231188655.
Mancini A, Milardi D, Conte G, et al. Seminal antioxidant capacity and its relationship with erectile function: a case-control study. International Journal of Andrology. 2012;35(2):142-148.
Safarinejad MR. Efficacy of coenzyme Q10 on semen parameters, sperm function and reproductive hormones in infertile men. J Urol. 2009 Jul;182(1):237-48.
Mostafa T, Anis T, El-Nashar A, et al. L-carnitine as an antioxidant for idiopathic male infertility: a randomized controlled trial. Andrologia. 2012;44 Suppl 1:115-12.
Nguyen ND, Le MT, Tran NQT, Nguyen QHV, Cao TN. Micronutrient supplements as antioxidants in improving sperm quality and reducing DNA fragmentation. Basic Clin Androl. 2023 Sep 14;33(1):23.






