Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF ) Freely available
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (46)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Auger, J.
Right arrow Articles by Jouannet, P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Auger, J.
Right arrow Articles by Jouannet, P.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Human Reproduction, Vol. 15, No. 11, 2360-2368, November 2000
© 2000 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

Intra- and inter-individual variability in human sperm concentration, motility and vitality assessment during a workshop involving ten laboratories

J. Auger1,12, F. Eustache1, B. Ducot2, T. Blandin3, M. Daudin4, I. Diaz5, S.El Matribi1, B. Gony6, L. Keskes7, M. Kolbezen8, A. Lamarte3, J. Lornage9, N. Nomal10, G. Pitaval9, O. Simon11, I. Virant-Klun8, A. Spira2 and P. Jouannet1

1 Service de Biologie de la Reproduction-CECOS, Hôpital Cochin, 75014 Paris, France, 2 INSERM U292, CHU de Bicêtre, 94276 Le Kremlin Bicêtre, France, 3 CECOS Aquitaine (Dr J.J.Berjon), Hôpital Pellegrin, 33076 Bordeaux, France, 4 Centre de Stérilité Masculine, CECOS Midi-Pyrénées (Dr L.Bujan), Hôpital La Grave, 31052 Toulouse, France, 5 Unidad de Fertilidad, Procreation Medicamente Asistida, Clinica Marly, Santafe de Bogota, Colombia, 6 CECOS Basse Normandie (Dr A.Sauvalle), CHU Côte de Nacre, 14033 Caen, France, 7 Laboratoire d'Histologie, Faculté de Médecine, Sfax, Tunisia, 8 Centere za andrologico (Dr B.Zorn), GynekolosSka klinika, Univerzitetni KlinicSni Center, Ljubljana, Slovenija, 9 Laboratoire de Biologie de la Reproduction, CECOS Lyon (Pr J.F.Guérin), Hôpitaal Edouard Herriot, 69373 Lyo,France, 10 Service d'Anatomie Pathologique, Antenne CECOS (Dr M.Roudier), CHU de Pointre à Pître, 97159 Guadeloupe, France and 11 Laboratoire de Biologie de la Reproduction, CECOS Ouest (Pr D.Le Lannou), Hôpital de l'Hôtel-Dieu, 35000 Rennes, France

The aim of the present study was to assess variability in the evaluation of human sperm concentration, motility and vitality. Technicians and biologists from 10 teams involved in multicentre studies on semen quality attended the same laboratory, each team using its own methods and equipment to analyse the same semen samples. Inter-individual variability was assessed from 17 fresh semen samples of varying quality. Intra-individual variability was assessed from pools of frozen samples for sperm concentration and motility and stained smears for vitality with three blind evaluations by sample and smear. The mean inter-individual coefficients of variation were 22.9, 21.8 and 17.5% for sperm concentration, motility and vitality respectively. There was no statistical difference among participants for sperm concentration assessment, but significant differences for both motility and vitality (both P < 0.05). The mean intra-individual coefficients of variation were 15.8, 26.2 and 13.1% for sperm concentration, motility and vitality respectively, with marked differences between expert and novice participants: concentration 9.8% versus 28.0%; motility 22.8% versus 33.0%; and vitality 10.0% versus 19.3%. The present data confirm the need for external quality control schemes for diagnostic purposes, and indicate their utmost importance in multicentre studies on semen quality.

Key words: quality control/routine semen analysis

12 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Laboratoire d'Histologie, Biologie de la Reproduction, CECOS, and Groupe d'Etude de la Fertilité Humaine (GREFH), Université Paris V, Pavillon Cassini, Hôpital Cochin, 123 Bd de Port-Royal, 75014 Paris, France. E-mail: jacques.auger{at}cch.ap-hop-paris.fr


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Lab MedHome page
H.-Y. Zhang, J.-C. Lu, Y.-F. Huang, and N.-Q. Lu
Standardization and Quality Control for the Determination of Uric Acid Level in Seminal Plasma
Lab Med, January 1, 2009; 40(1): 23 - 26.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J AndrolHome page
J.-C. Lu, F. Chen, H.-R. Xu, Y.-F. Huang, and N.-Q. Lu
Standardization and Quality Control for Determination of Fructose in Seminal Plasma
J Androl, March 1, 2007; 28(2): 207 - 213.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Hum ReprodHome page
M. Bungum, P. Humaidan, A. Axmon, M. Spano, L. Bungum, J. Erenpreiss, and A. Giwercman
Sperm DNA integrity assessment in prediction of assisted reproduction technology outcome
Hum. Reprod., January 1, 2007; 22(1): 174 - 179.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Hum ReprodHome page
C.H. Ramlau-Hansen, A.M. Thulstrup, A.S. Aggerholm, M.S. Jensen, G. Toft, and J.P. Bonde
Is smoking a risk factor for decreased semen quality? A cross-sectional analysis
Hum. Reprod., January 1, 2007; 22(1): 188 - 196.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Hum ReprodHome page
M. Bungum, L. Bungum, and P. Humaidan
A prospective study, using sibling oocytes, examining the effect of 30 seconds versus 90 minutes gamete co-incubation in IVF
Hum. Reprod., February 1, 2006; 21(2): 518 - 523.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Hum ReprodHome page
D. Riddell, A. Pacey, and K. Whittington
Lack of compliance by UK andrology laboratories with World Health Organization recommendations for sperm morphology assessment
Hum. Reprod., December 1, 2005; 20(12): 3441 - 3445.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Hum ReprodHome page
M.S. Jensen, L.M. Mabeck, G. Toft, A.M. Thulstrup, and J.P. Bonde
Lower sperm counts following prenatal tobacco exposure
Hum. Reprod., September 1, 2005; 20(9): 2559 - 2566.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Hum ReprodHome page
J.A. Castilla, J. Morancho-Zaragoza, J. Aguilar, R. Prats-Gimenez, M.C. Gonzalvo, E. Fernandez-Pardo, C. Alvarez, R. Calafell, and L. Martinez
Quality specifications for seminal parameters based on the state of the art
Hum. Reprod., September 1, 2005; 20(9): 2573 - 2578.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J AndrolHome page
C. Brazil, S. H. Swan, E. Z. Drobnis, F. Liu, C. Wang, J. B. Redmon, and J. W. Overstreet
Standardized Methods for Semen Evaluation in a Multicenter Research Study
J Androl, July 1, 2004; 25(4): 635 - 644.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J AndrolHome page
C. Brazil, S. H. Swan, C. R. Tollner, C. Treece, E. Z. Drobnis, C. Wang, J. B. Redmon, and J. W. Overstreet
Quality Control of Laboratory Methods for Semen Evaluation in a Multicenter Research Study
J Androl, July 1, 2004; 25(4): 645 - 656.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J AndrolHome page
P. Christensen, J. P. Stenvang, and W. L. Godfrey
A Flow Cytometric Method for Rapid Determination of Sperm Concentration and Viability in Mammalian and Avian Semen
J Androl, March 1, 2004; 25(2): 255 - 264.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Hum ReprodHome page
F. Eustache and J. Auger
Inter-individual variability in the morphological assessment of human sperm: effect of the level of experience and the use of standard methods
Hum. Reprod., May 1, 2003; 18(5): 1018 - 1022.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J AndrolHome page
A. Agarwal, R. K. Sharma, and D. R. Nelson
New Semen Quality Scores Developed by Principal Component Analysis of Semen Characteristics
J Androl, May 1, 2003; 24(3): 343 - 352.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Hum ReprodHome page
L. Bjorndahl, C.L.R. Barratt, L.R. Fraser, U. Kvist, and D. Mortimer
ESHRE basic semen analysis courses 1995-1999: immediate beneficial effects of standardized training
Hum. Reprod., May 1, 2002; 17(5): 1299 - 1305.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Hum ReprodHome page
J. Auger, F. Eustache, A.G. Andersen, D.S. Irvine, N. Jorgensen, N.E. Skakkebak, J. Suominen, J. Toppari, M. Vierula, and P. Jouannet
Sperm morphological defects related to environment, lifestyle and medical history of 1001 male partners of pregnant women from four European cities
Hum. Reprod., December 1, 2001; 16(12): 2710 - 2717.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Hum ReprodHome page
J. P.T. Rhemrev, R. Menkveld, T. J. Roseboom, F. W.P.C. van Overveld, T. Teerlink, C. Lombard, and J. P.W. Vermeiden
The acrosome index, radical buffer capacity and number of isolated progressively motile spermatozoa predict IVF results
Hum. Reprod., September 1, 2001; 16(9): 1885 - 1892.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.