WORLDWIDE VARIATIONS IN SPERM COUNTS

Objectives. Based on the premise that various human disease processes manifest differently depending on geography, we set out to determine w hether sperm counts vary from different nations and different regions within the United States. Methods. We reviewed the literature of all s ignificant population-based studies that evaluated sperm counts from f ertile or presumably fertile men from 1930 to the present. Results. We found that sperm counts did, in fact, vary greatly. Throughout the Un ited States, average sperm counts ranged from a low of 48 million/cc i n Iowa to a high of 134 million/cc in New York, with multiple values i n-between from Texas, Minnesota, Washington State, and California. Int ernationally, average sperm counts ranged from a low of 52.9 million/c c in Thailand to a high of 102.9 million/cc in France. Conclusions. We conclude that sperm counts are subject to a wide range of variation a mong geographic locations. Copyright 1996 by Elsevier Science Inc.