SEMEN QUALITY AND FREQUENCY OF SMOKING AND ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION - AN EXPLORATIVE STUDY

Objective-To study the contribution of smoking and alcohol consumption to semen quality. Design-Retrospective analysis. Setting-University-b ased fertility clinic. Patients and Methods-Smoking and alcohol consum ption were investigated in a control group (68) and in a group of 47 s ubjects with defined poor semen quality (PSQ). The control group was c omposed of subjects whose semen showed a greater than 60% morphologica l normality, a greater than 60% motility with a linear progression and a density of greater than 20 million spermatozoa/mL. The group with P SQ was composed of subjects whose semen showed a less than 30% morphol ogical normality, less than 60% motility, characterized by slow, weak motility, and a density of less than 20 million spermatozoa/mL. Medica l dossiers were studied regarding the life style of the subjects. Resu lts-The distribution of heavy smelters and light smokers did not diffe r statistically between the groups. There appeared to be a higher, but statistically insignificant, proportion of heavy smokers in the PSQ g roup (50%) compared to the control group (32.3%, P <.1); nor were sign ificant differences found between cases and controls with respect to a lcohol consumption pattern. In the PSQ group, a comparison of the seme n characteristics of the daily drinkers with those of all the other su bfertile patients showed no statistical difference concerning semen vo lume (4.1 +/- 1.9 vs. 3.3 +/- 1.3 mt; P >.1), sperm density (10.6 +/- 7.8 vs. 8.9 +/- 5.8 million spermatozoa/mL; P greater than or equal to .1), and percentage of motile spermatozoa (27.0 +/- 15.1 vs. 25.5 +/- 16.1%; P >.1). However, a lower percentage of normal sperm morphology was observed in the daily-drinker group (17.6 +/- 7.2% vs. 23.0 +/- 6. 5% for the other subfertile patients; P <.05). Conclusion-Factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption do not seem to play a pivotal role in the etiology of poor semen quality, but a pattern of excessive alc ohol consumption may decrease further an already low percentage of spe rm with normal morphology.