Smoking is associated with the retention of cytoplasm by human spermatozoa

Objectives. To determine whether cigarette smoking is associated with the a bnormal retention of residual sperm cytoplasm in infertile men. Methods. Semen samples were obtained from 87 consecutive non-azoospermic me n with idiopathic infertility (18 smokers and 69 nonsmokers) and from 20 me n presenting for vasectomy (fertile controls). Standard semen parameters an d the percentage of spermatozoa with residual cytoplasm (on Papanicolaou sm ears) were recorded. Results. Subject age, semen volume, and sperm density, motility, and morpho logy were not significantly different between the two groups of infertile m en. However, a significant difference was found in the mean +/- SEM percent ages of sperm with cytoplasm droplets between smokers and nonsmokers (12.9% +/- 1.7% and 8.1% +/- 0.9%, respectively; P < 0.001). Conclusions. Our data suggest that cigarette smoking is associated with ret ention of sperm cytoplasmic droplets in infertile men, a morphologic charac teristic associated with impaired sperm function. UROLOGY 56: 465-466, 2000 . (C) 2000, Elsevier Science Inc.