EFFECT OF INCREASED SCROTAL TEMPERATURE ON SPERM PRODUCTION IN NORMALMEN

Objective: To determine whether application of polyester-lined athleti c supports to bring the testes closer to the abdomen increases scrotal temperature and decreases sperm production. Design: Prospective clini cal study. S etting: University academic medical center. Patient(s): T wenty-one healthy male volunteers. Intervention(s): The study consiste d of a pretreatment period of 6 weeks, a treatment phase of 52 weeks, and a recovery phase until return to normal sperm production. During t he treatment phase, the men wore polyester-lined athletic supports (si ngle layer, double layer, or double layer impregnated with aluminum) t hroughout the day. Main Outcome Measure(s): Semen parameters and sperm function tests. Result(s): In all three groups of subjects, scrotal t emperature was consistently increased by 0.8 to 1 degrees C while the subjects were wearing the athletic supports. Mean sperm concentration; sperm motility, morphology, and viability; sperm hyperactivation; and ability of spermatozoa to penetrate zone-free hamster oocytes were no t affected by the increase in scrotal temperature. Conclusion(s): The increase in scrotal temperature induced by polyester-lined athletic su pports was insufficient to cause significant suppression of spermatoge nesis or alteration of sperm function. (C) 1997 by American Society fo r Reproductive Medicine.