Fertility and Sterility
Volume 88, Issue 6 , Pages 1491-1494 , December 2007

“Oligozoospermia,” “azoospermia,” and other semen-analysis terminology: the need for better science

  • David A. Grimes, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests: David A. Grimes, M.D., Family Health International, P.O. Box 13950, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 (FAX: 919-544-7261).
    • ,
  • Laureen M. Lopez, Ph.D.

Received 21 February 2007 ,Revised 19 April 2007 ,Accepted 19 April 2007.

References 

  1. Eliasson R, Hellinga F, Lubcke F, Meyhofer W, Niermann H, Steeno O, et al. Empfehlungen zur Nomenklatur in der Andrologie. Andrologie. 1970;2:186–187
  2. Grimes DA, Gallo MF, Grigorieva V, Nanda K, Schulz KF. Steroid hormones for contraception in men: systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Contraception. 2005;71:89–94
  3. Wikipedia. Longest word in English. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longest_word_in_English. Accessed December 29, 2006.
  4. World Health Organization . WHO laboratory manual for the examination of human semen and sperm–cervical mucus interaction. 4th ed.. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 1999;
  5. Behera M, Price T, Walmer D. Estrogenic ovulatory dysfunction or functional female hyperandrogenism: an argument to discard the term polycystic ovary syndrome. Fertil Steril. 2006;86:1292–1295
  6. Menkveld R, Wong WY, Lombard CJ, Wetzels AM, Thomas CM, Merkus HM, et al. Semen parameters, including WHO and strict criteria morphology, in a fertile and subfertile population: an effort toward standardization of in-vivo thresholds. Hum Reprod. 2001;16:1165–1171
  7. Male Infertility Best Practice Policy Committee of the American Urological Association; Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Report on optimal evaluation of the infertile male. Fertil Steril. 2006;86(Suppl 5):S202–S209
  8. Guzick DS, Overstreet JW, Factor-Litvak P, Brazil CK, Nakajima ST, Coutifaris C, et al. Sperm morphology, motility, and concentration in fertile and infertile men. N Engl J Med. 2001;345:1388–1393
  9. Ombelet W, Bosmans E, Janssen M, Cox A, Vlasselaer J, Gyselaers W, et al. Semen parameters in a fertile versus subfertile population: a need for change in the interpretation of semen testing. Hum Reprod. 1997;12:987–993
  10. Grimes DA, Hubacher D, Nanda K, Schulz KF, Moher D, Altman DG. The Good Clinical Practice guideline: a bronze standard for clinical research. Lancet. 2005;366:172–174
  11. Grimes DA, Schulz KF. Descriptive studies: what they can and cannot do. Lancet. 2002;359:145–149
  12. Grimes D, Lopez LM, Gallo MF, Halper V, Nanda K, Schulz KF. Steroid hormones for contraception in men. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007;(2):CD004316
  13. Kamischke A, Ploger D, Venherm S, von Eckardstein S, von Eckardstein A, Nieschlag E. Intramuscular testosterone undecanoate with or without oral levonorgestrel: a randomized placebo-controlled feasibility study for male contraception. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2000;53:43–52
  14. Nieschlag E. Erratum: intramuscular testosterone undecanoate with or without oral levonorgestrel: a randomized placebo-controlled feasibility study for male contraception. Clin Endocrinol. 2000;53:661
  15. Schaffenburg CA, Gregoire AT, Gueriguian JL. Guidelines for the clinical testing of male contraceptive drugs. J Androl. 1981;2:225–228
  16. World Health Organization . WHO laboratory manual for the examination of human semen and sperm–cervical mucus interaction. 3rd ed.. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 1992;
  17. Riddell D, Pacey A, Whittington K. Lack of compliance by UK andrology laboratories with World Health Organization recommendations for sperm morphology assessment. Hum Reprod. 2005;20:3441–3445
  18. Mokdad AH, Ford ES, Bowman BA, Dietz WH, Vinicor F, Bales VS, et al. Prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and obesity-related health risk factors, 2001. JAMA. 2003;289:76–79
  19. Cavallini G. Male idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia. Asian J Androl. 2006;8:143–157
  20. Sharlip ID. New options for managing severe oligospermia and azoospermia. West J Med. 1996;164:345–346
  21. Sokal D, Irsula B, Chen-Mok M, Labrecque M, Barone MA. A comparison of vas occlusion techniques: cautery more effective than ligation and excision with fascial interposition. BMC Urol. 2004;4:12
  22. Strassburger D, Friedler S, Raziel A, Schachter M, Kasterstein E, Ron-el R. Very low sperm count affects the result of intracytoplasmic sperm injection. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2000;17:431–436
  23. Hirsh A. Male subfertility. BMJ. 2003;327:669–672
  24. Centola GM. Successful treatment of severe oligozoospermia with sperm washing and intrauterine insemination. J Androl. 1997;18:448–453
  25. Levitas E, Lunenfeld E, Weiss N, Friger M, Har-Vardi I, Koifman A, et al. Relationship between the duration of sexual abstinence and semen quality: analysis of 9,489 semen samples. Fertil Steril. 2005;83:1680–1686
  26. Williams JM. Style: ten lessons in clarity and grace. 3rd edition. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman and Company; 1989;
  27. Friedman EA, Pennisi JA. Eschew obfuscation. Obstet Gynecol. 1996;87:795–796
  28. Crichton M. Sounding board: medical obfuscation: structure and function. N Engl J Med. 1975;293:1257–1259
  29. Ingelfinger FJ. “Obfuscation” in medical writing. [editorial] N Engl J Med. 1976;294:546–547
  30. Stedman's medical dictionary. 27th ed.. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2000;
  31. Cooke S, Tyler JP, Driscoll GL. Hyperspermia: the forgotten condition?. Hum Reprod. 1995;10:367–368
  32. Merino G, Carranza-Lira S. Semen characteristics, endocrine profiles, and testicular biopsies of infertile men of different ages. Arch Androl. 1995;35:219–224
  33. Dam AH, Feenstra I, Westphal JR, Ramos L, van Golde RJ, Kremer JA. Globozoospermia revisited. Hum Reprod Update. 2007;13:63–75
  34. Anawalt BD, Amory JK, Herbst KL, Coviello AD, Page ST, Bremner WJ, et al. Intramuscular testosterone enanthate plus very low dosage oral levonorgestrel suppresses spermatogenesis without causing weight gain in normal young men: a randomized clinical trial. J Androl. 2005;26:405–413
  35. Jamieson DJ, Costello C, Trussell J, Hillis SD, Marchbanks PA, Peterson HB. The risk of pregnancy after vasectomy. Obstet Gynecol. 2004;103:848–850
  36. Forti G, Krausz C. Clinical review 100: evaluation and treatment of the infertile couple. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1998;83:4177–4188
  37. Matorras R, Diez J, Corcostegui B, Gutierrez de Teran G, Garcia JM, Pijoan JI, et al. Spontaneous pregnancy in couples waiting for artificial insemination donor because of severe male infertility. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 1996;70:175–178
  38. De Jonge CJ, Barratt CL. WHO manual … who should care?. Hum Reprod. 1999;14:2431–2433
  39. Tielemans E, Heederik D, Burdorf A, Loomis D, Habbema DF. Intraindividual variability and redundancy of semen parameters. Epidemiology. 1997;8:99–103
  40. Lang TA, Secic M. How to report statistics in medicine. Philadelphia: American College of Physicians; 1997;
  41. Hancock P, McLaughlin E. British Andrology Society guidelines for the assessment of post vasectomy semen samples (2002). J Clin Pathol. 2002;55:812–816

 Supported in part by Family Health International (FHI) with funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH); the views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of FHI or NIH.

PII: S0015-0282(07)00971-5

doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.04.013

Fertility and Sterility
Volume 88, Issue 6 , Pages 1491-1494 , December 2007

Article Tools