Evaluation of a large cohort of men presenting for a screening semen analysis

Objective: To determine: [1] what percentage of men in an infertile relatio nship will have a semen abnormality, [2] the average value for each semen p arameter in this group of men, [3] the distribution of abnormal semen param eters in this group, and [4] if our data support the hypothesis that sperm concentration is declining. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: County hospital university-based infertility clinic. Patient(s): Male partners of women presenting for an infertility evaluation . Intervention(s): Semen specimens were collected after 2-5 days of abstinenc e. Main Outcome Measure(s): Sperm concentration, motility, and morphology. Result(s): Fifty-two percent of samples had at least one sperm abnormality based on World Health Organization criteria. Fifty-one percent had an abnor mality in sperm motility, 18% in sperm concentration, and 14% in sperm morp hology. Four percent of the patients were azoospermic. Conclusion(s): No decline in sperm density was revealed in semen collected by men presenting for an initial screening semen analysis. (C) 2000 by Amer ican Society for Reproductive Medicine.