Mo. Royster et al., Evaluation of a container for collection and shipment of semen with potential uses in population-based, clinical, and occupational settings, J ANDROLOGY, 21(3), 2000, pp. 478-484
Large, population-based studies of semen quality are encumbered by the logi
stics and expense of obtaining semen samples from men who live in a variety
of locations. A prototype semen collection and transportation kit, the TRA
NSEM100(TM), can be distributed to study participants and then directly shi
pped to a central laboratory for analysis. This study was designed to evalu
ate the ability of mate volunteers to correctly use the kit. Thirty volunte
ers aged 20 to 44 years with no history of diabetes, recent chemotherapy, f
ertility problems, or vasectomy were recruited through a newspaper advertis
ement, interviewed to obtain demographic information, and instructed on the
use of the kit. Twenty-six of the initial subjects provided at least 1 sem
en specimen using the kit and returned the specimens by overnight delivery
to the laboratory for analysis, 25 completed a follow-up interview on the u
se of the collection kit, and 20 submitted a second semen sample using the
same method. The average volunteer was white, 27.8 years old, and held at l
east a college degree. Forty percent of the volunteers were married. In gen
eral, participants correctly followed the instructions for collecting, pack
aging, and shipping the semen samples. Volunteers were instructed to collec
t samples after at least 2, but no more than 7 days of abstinence. For the
first and second samples submitted, participants collected semen samples af
ter an average of 3.3 and 3.9 days of abstinence, respectively. Seventeen (
65%) of the samples from the first sampling period and 16 (80%) of the samp
les from the second period were received in the laboratory the day after th
ey had been collected. In summary, the TRANSEM100(TM) may prove to be usefu
l for collecting human semen in field studies. Further testing of this meth
od is warranted to evaluate preservation of sample quality and use of the k
it by men among diverse socioeconomic groups.