Table 2.
Baseline characteristics for all enrolled male subjects – Cortisol group
| 0.34 ≤ Cortisol ≤ 3.4 ng/mL (n=84) | 3.5 ≤ Cortisol ≤ 12.3 ng/mL (n=20) | Overall P value* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Age (IQR)-yr | 34.0(31.0-38.0) | 34.0(29.0-37.0) | 0.511 |
| Median BMI (IQR) | 27.9(24.5-31.3) | 27.5(22.8-29.5) | 0.122 |
| Ethnicity | 0.824 | ||
| Hispanic or Latino | 5/84 (6.0) | 0/20 (0.0) | |
| Non-Hispanic | 75/84 (89.3) | 19/20 (95.0) | |
| Unknown | 4/84 (4.8) | 1/20 (5.0) | |
| Race | 0.615 | ||
| White | 63/84 (75.0) | 19/20 (95.0) | |
| Black | 8/84 (9.5) | 0/20 (0.0) | |
| Asian | 5/84 (6.0) | 0/20 (0.0) | |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 1/84 (1.2) | 0/20 (0.0) | |
| Unknown | 6/84 (7.1) | 1/20 (5.0) | |
| Mixed Race | 1/84 (1.2) | 0/20 (0.0) | |
| Herbal supplements in past 6 months | 39/84 (46.4) | 9/20 (45.0) | 0.908 |
| History of smoking | 0.962 | ||
| Never | 50/84 (59.5) | 12/20 (60.0) | |
| Current | 11/84 (13.1) | 3/20 (15.0) | |
| Former | 23/84 (27.4) | 5/20 (25.0) | |
| History of alcohol use | 0.014 | ||
| Never | 5/84 (6.0) | 0/20 (0.0) | |
| Current (in the past year) | 77/84 (91.7) | 16/20 (80.0) | |
| Former (not in the past year) | 2/84 (2.4) | 4/20 (20.0) | |
| FertiQoL | |||
| Feeling drained or worn out | 3.2 ± 1.0, n=82 | 3.0 ± 0.8, n=20 | 0.198 |
| Feeling able to cope with fertility problems | 1.2 ± 1.2, n=82 | 1.2 ± 1.1, n=20 | 0.733 |
| Fertility problems cause jealousy and resentment | 3.3 ± 0.9, n=82 | 3.3 ± 0.8, n=20 | 0.431 |
| Experience grief about not having children | 3.0 ± 0.8, n=82 | 2.8 ± 0.9, n=20 | 0.227 |
| Fertility problems strengthen commitment to partner | 1.9 ± 1.2, n=80 | 1.7 ± 0.9, n=20 | 0.425 |
| Feeling sad and depressed | 3.3 ± 0.7, n=81 | 2.9 ± 0.7, n=20 | 0.013 |
| Fertility problems cause anger | 3.5 ± 0.9, n=82 | 3.1 ± 0.9, n=20 | 0.035 |
| Feeling pain and physical discomfort | 3.9 ± 0.4, n=82 | 3.9 ± 0.4, n=20 | 0.973 |
| Depression Severity | 0.651 | ||
| Minimal or none | 66/82 (80.5) | 15/20 (75.0) | |
| Mild | 12/82 (14.6) | 4/20 (20.0) | |
| Moderate | 2/82 (2.4) | 1/20 (5.0) | |
| Moderately severe | 2/82 (2.4) | 0/20 (0.0) | |
| Erectile Dysfunction | 0.682 | ||
| No erectile dysfunction | 71/79 (89.9) | 19/20 (95.0) | |
| Mild erectile dysfunction | 8/79 (10.1) | 1/20 (5.0) |
*
IQR, interquartile range; categorical variables are expressed as no. (%). Student’s t test or Wilcoxon’s rank-sum test was used for continuous variables, and Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test was used for categorical variables.