Did you know that the average sperm count of men worldwide has dropped by 52% between 1973 and 2018, going from 99 million sperm per milliliter to just 47 million? We got a intruging question for you: How would you feel about seeing your infertility risk score right on your next blood test report? Usually, when we go for a blood test, we’re checking the basics—sugar levels, hemoglobin, cholesterol—key indicators for things like diabetes, anemia, and heart disease. But if you want to know your infertility risk, you’d have to go to a special clinic and provide a sperm sample. That’s a hassle, right? Well, not anymore! With the power of AI, we can now detect your infertility risk with just a single drop of blood. How cool is that?
Thanks to a new tool developed by researchers in Japan, this is now a reality! Let’s explore how this works and what it means for men around the world.
Why do we need this AI Tool?
Infertility is a sensitive issue, and for many men, finding out if they might face challenges having children can be stressful. But now, there’s a new way to assess the risk of male infertility with a simple blood test. Researchers in Japan have created an advanced tool that uses artificial intelligence, or AI, to make this possible.
This tool can predict a man’s fertility risk by analyzing hormone levels in the blood. And here’s the best part—it does this with an impressive 74% accuracy!
How does AI Tool work?
So, how does this AI system work? The process begins with a basic blood test that measures several key hormones in the body. These hormones include FSH, LH, PRL, total testosterone, and E2. Once these hormone levels are measured, the AI system gets to work.
The AI analyzes these hormone levels to predict the risk of infertility. It’s particularly good at identifying a severe type of infertility called non-obstructive azoospermia. In this condition, no sperm is found in the semen. The AI has shown 100% accuracy in identifying this condition, which is a significant achievement.
Development of AI Tool
The development of this AI tool was no small task. The research team, led by Associate Professor Hideyuki Kobayashi from Toho University School of Medicine in Japan, collected data from 3,662 patients. These patients had both semen and hormone tests done between 2011 and 2020.
Using this data, the AI model was trained to predict whether a man might have trouble with fertility. The AI model focuses on something called the total motile sperm count, which is calculated using semen volume, sperm concentration, and sperm motility. By comparing these results to standard reference values set by the World Health Organization (WHO), the AI can determine if a man’s sperm count is within the normal range.
Testing & Validation
But creating the AI model was just the first step. To make sure it works well, the researchers tested it on new data from patients in 2021 and 2022. The accuracy was slightly lower during these tests—58% in 2021 and 68% in 2022—but the AI model still showed 100% accuracy in predicting non-obstructive azoospermia.
This shows that while there’s room for improvement, the AI tool is already a powerful primary screening method for male infertility.
Unique Approach of the AI Tool
What makes this AI tool stand out from others is its unique approach. Most tools for predicting male infertility rely only on the FSH hormone level. But this new AI model includes multiple hormone levels, like T/E2 and LH, in addition to FSH. This could lead to more accurate predictions, giving men a clearer picture of their fertility health.
The future of Male Infertility Testing
While this AI tool is a significant step forward, it’s important to note that it’s not a replacement for semen analysis. As Dr. Kobayashi explains, this tool is meant to be a primary screening step. It’s something that can be done easily at facilities that don’t specialize in infertility treatment.
However, Dr. Kobayashi also pointed out that the current model cannot distinguish between different types of infertility without a semen analysis. He’s hopeful that future research will address this limitation, potentially leading to even more advanced tools.
As always, thank you for watching! If you found this video helpful, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more updates on the latest in science and health. Until next time, take care!
Reference:
- Daily Mail [Article]