Decline of Sperm Quality over the Last Two Decades in the South of Europe: A Retrospective Study in Infertile Patients (original) (raw)
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Asian Journal of Andrology, 2012
Semen from 10 932 male partners of infertile couples was analysed and sperm parameter trends were evaluated at the Reproduction Biology Laboratory of the University Hospital of Marseille (France) between 1988 and 2007. After 3-6 days of abstinence, semen samples were collected. Measurements of seminal fluid volume, pH, sperm concentration, total sperm count, motility and detailed morphology of spermatozoa were performed. Sperm parameters were analysed on the entire population and in men with normal total numeration (o40 million per ejaculate). The whole population demonstrated declining trends in sperm concentration (1.5% per year), total sperm count (1.6% per year), total motility (0.4% per year), rapid motility (5.5% per year) and normal morphology (2.2% per year). In the group of selected samples with total normal sperm count, the same trends of sperm quality deterioration with time were observed. Our results clearly indicate that the quality of semen decreased in this population over the study period.
Decline in sperm count in European men during the past 50 years
Human and Experimental Toxicology, 2017
Purpose: To investigate whether the sperm concentration of European men is deteriorating over the past 50 years of time. Materials and Methods: We analysed the data published in English language articles in the past 50 years in altering sperm concentration in European men. Results: A time-dependent decline of sperm concentration (r ¼ À0.307, p ¼ 0.02) in the last 50 years and an overall 32.5% decrease in mean sperm concentration was noted. Conclusion: This comprehensive, evidence-based meta-analysis concisely presents the evidence of decreased sperm concentration in European male over the past 50 years to serve the scientific research zone related to male reproductive health.
Decreasing sperm quality: a global problem?
BMC Public Health, 2010
Background: Carlsen and coworkers (1992) reviewed 61 heterogeneous observational studies on semen quality published between 1938 and 1990. This review indicates that mean sperm density decreased significantly between 1940 and 1990. An extended meta-analysis with 101 studies confirmed a decline in sperm density for the period from 1934 to 1996 (2000). The key message of the meta-analyses is that sperm counts have decreased globally by about 50% over the past decades. This assessment has been questioned.
Human Reproduction, 2001
BACKGROUND: Recently, differences in semen quality have been found among the partners of pregnant women from four European cities: Turku, Copenhagen, Edinburgh and Paris. METHODS: During this study, slides from the four centres were subjected to a centralized assessment of sperm morphology. The percentages of sperm defects were recorded using a multiple-entry classification enabling the calculation of the multiple anomalies index (MAI), which is the mean number of anomalies per abnormal sperm. The relationships between various sperm abnormalities and self-reported data on medical history, lifestyle and occupational factors were examined. RESULTS: Significant differences in the MAI and most of the sperm defects were found between the four cities, and more abnormalities were found in spring than in winter. An increase in some sperm abnormalities was related to medical treatment of the mother during pregnancy, higher birthweight and previous treatment for cryptorchidism. Significant variations of several sperm defects were related to stress, weekly working time, occupational posture and metal welding, suggesting directions for further exposure studies. CONCLUSION: The present study indicated that the detailed assessment of sperm abnormalities is a useful biomarker of the effect of various external factors which may qualitatively affect human spermatogenesis.
Declining Sperm Counts… or Rather Not? A Mini Review
Obstetrical & gynecological survey, 2018
Temporal global trends of sperm quality remain a matter of debate. The aim of this study was to present a comprehensive review of studies reporting on sperm quality counts, summarize the main end points, and assess the main reasons for potential discrepancies. An evidence-based review of PubMed and Scopus databases was performed regarding studies reporting on modification of sperm quality counts, independently of study character, study language, or date. Since the meta-analysis of Carlsen et al in 1992 ( 1992;305:609-613) that suggested an annual decline in sperm count of 1%, several reports confirmed the decline in sperm quality, whereas others disproved them, suggesting a slight increase or absence of change in sperm count. Such controversies may be attributed to geographical and time-related variability in sperm values and also to several confounding factors that influence the semen parameters. Intrinsic weaknesses of the studies include heterogeneity of subjects recruited, lack ...
HJOG, 2024
Introduction: Temporal global trends of sperm quality remain a matter of debate. It is widely believed that exposure to endocrine disruptors during fetal life can damage testicular function, cause testicular cancer and impair reproduction. Materials and methods: This was a retrospective, cohort study using data from a single IVF center located in Thessaloniki, Greece, during the period 2004-2013; including male partners of infertile Greek women, undergoing oocyte donation treatment for the first time. Local polynomial smoothing was used to assess visually possible trends in the data. One-way ANOVA was used for the comparison of means of variables of interest between years. The Pearson Chi-squared and the Chi-squared test for trend were employed to test for the independence and trend respectively of the occurrence of concentrations <20 million/ml and the year of study. Results: A total of 1113 participants were analyzed. The mean sperm concentration increased significantly between 2004 and 2012 (39.5million/ml versus 59.1million/ml; p<0.001), but without forming a visible upward trend; the mean total motility remained statistically unchanged (56% versus 49.8%; p=0.239), as well as the percentage of sperm concentration of less than 20million/mL (23.5% versus 24.4%; p=0.249), whereas the mean of rapid progressive motile sperm decreased significantly (41.1% versus 30%; p<0.001), forming a visible downward trend. Conclusions: Sperm motility and annual percentage of oligospermic males presenting with a sperm concentration of less than 20 million/mL showed an absence of significant change and temporal trend.
Decline in semen quality among infertile men in Brazil during the past 10 years
International braz j urol : official journal of the Brazilian Society of Urology
To investigate whether the semen quality of men undergoing conventional semen analysis is deteriorating over time. We analyzed and compared the sperm count, motility and morphology of 2300 semen samples provided by males undergoing conventional seminal analysis, from years 2000 to 2002 and 2010 to 2012. The incidences of severe oligozoospermia and azoospermia over time were also compared. A total of 764 sperm samples were analyzed in 2000-2002 and 1536 in 2010-2012. Over time, the mean sperm concentration/ml decreased significantly from 61.7 million in 2000-2002 to 26.7 million in 2010-2012 (R2=11.4%, p< 0.001), the total sperm concentration decreased significantly from 183.0 million to 82.8 million (R2=11.3%, p< 0.001), and the percentage of normal forms decreased significantly from 4.6% to 2.7% (R2=9.8%, p< 0.001). The incidence of severe oligozoospermia significantly increased from 15.7% to 30.3% (OR: 1.09, p< 0.001) and the incidence of azoospermia increased from 4.9...