Vol 68, No 6 (2017)
Original paper
Published online: 2017-09-22
The quality of semen among a sample of young, healthy men from Lower Silesia (AndroLS)
Abstract
Introduction: Contrary to other parts of the continent, little information is available regarding semen quality among subjects from central and eastern Europe.
Material and methods: We evaluated semen profiles among a sample of men from an industrialised region of Poland. We directly invited 5000 healthy inhabitants of the region (aged 18–35 years; with unchecked fecundity) to participate in the study. Among the 500 who were eligible and willing to participate, we acquired detailed information and semen and blood samples from 177 subjects.
Results: Semen volume, sperm concentration, and total sperm count were, respectively, (mean ± SD): 3.1 ± 1.5 ml, 60 ± 44 x 106/ml and 170 ± 137 x 106/ml. Percentage of normal forms was 14.7 ± 6.5%.
Conclusions: Due to the relatively low sperm motility (mean ± SD: 54 ± 16%) and vitality (mean ± SD: 60 ± 15%) values, these variables require special attention during routine evaluations. The WHO 2010 criteria for these two parameters were met in only 60% and 66% of the samples, respectively. Further studies on men with different educational levels, social environments, or living conditions are needed to confirm our results.
Keywords: sperm quality parameterssemen analysisepidemiologygeneral population
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