Fertility and Sterility
Volume 93, Issue 7 , Pages 2247-2254, 1 May 2010

Semen quality and age-specific changes: a study between two decades on 3,729 male partners of couples with normal sperm count and attending an andrology laboratory for infertility-related problems in an Indian city

  • Dyutiman Mukhopadhyay, M.Sc.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Calcutta, India
    • Department of Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, Calcutta, India
    • Institute of Reproductive Health and Toxicology, Calcutta, India
    • ,
  • Alex C. Varghese, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Institute of Reproductive Health and Toxicology, Calcutta, India
    • IVF Division, Advanced Medicare and Research Institute Ltd., Calcutta, India
    • ,
  • Manisha Pal, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Statistics, University of Calcutta, Calcutta, India
    • ,
  • Sudip K. Banerjee, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, Calcutta, India
    • Department of Environmental Science, University of Calcutta, Calcutta, India
    • Institute of Reproductive Health and Toxicology, Calcutta, India
    • ,
  • Asok K. Bhattacharyya, Ph.D., D.Sc.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, Calcutta, India
    • Institute of Reproductive Health and Toxicology, Calcutta, India
    • ,
  • Rakesh K. Sharma, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Center for Reproductive Medicine, Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women's Health Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
    • ,
  • Ashok Agarwal, Ph.D., H.C.L.D.

      Affiliations

    • Center for Reproductive Medicine, Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women's Health Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests: Ashok Agarwal, Ph.D., H.C.L.D., Professor and Director, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute and Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women's Health Institute, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Desk A19.1, Cleveland, Ohio 44195 (FAX: 216-445-6049).

Received 29 October 2008; received in revised form 13 January 2009; accepted 23 January 2009. published online 27 March 2009.

Objective

To compare the semen quality and age-specific changes in men between the 1980s and 2000s.

Design

Prospective study.

Setting

Andrology laboratory, University of Calcutta, India.

Patient(s)

A semen sample was obtained from 3729 men presenting for infertility problems in two distinct decades, that is, between 1981–85 and 2000–2006.

Intervention(s)

Subjects with sperm count >20 × 106/mL without any extreme pathological disorders were selected. Samples having a major liquefaction problem were excluded.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

A standard World Health Organization procedure for semen analysis was performed that included assessment of volume, sperm concentration, and percentage motility. The motility parameters were further classified into forward progressive motility and nonprogressive motility.

Result(s)

The present large-scale study confirms a significant decline in the sperm motility parameters and seminal volume in the present decade. However, no change in overall sperm concentration was noted. A decline was seen in sperm motility with increasing age in both decades.

Conclusion(s)

There are significant changes in sperm motility and volume between the two decades, and the age-related changes in semen parameters are also different in the two decades.

Key Words: Sperm count, motility, age, pollution

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 D.M. has nothing to disclose. A.C.V. has nothing to disclose. M.P. has nothing to disclose. S.K.B. has nothing to disclose. A.K.B. has nothing to disclose. R.K.S. has nothing to disclose. A.A. has nothing to disclose.

PII: S0015-0282(09)00253-2

doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2009.01.135

Fertility and Sterility
Volume 93, Issue 7 , Pages 2247-2254, 1 May 2010

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