Human Reproduction, Vol. 18, No. 2, 447-454,
February 2003
© 2003 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
The association of age and semen quality in healthy men
1 School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 2 Biology and Biotechnology Research Program, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, 3 Genetics and Developmental Biology Program, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV and 4 California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA
5 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: 140 Earl Warren Hall, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, USA. e-mail: eskenazi{at}uclink4.berkeley.edu
BACKGROUND: Although the effect of maternal age on fertility is well known, it is unclear whether paternal age also affects fertility. This cross-sectional study sought to characterize the association between age and semen quality, a well-known proxy of fertility status. METHODS: A convenience sample of 97 non-smoking men (aged 22–80 years) without known fertility problems was recruited from a national government laboratory. The men provided semen samples and information relating to lifestyle, diet, medical and occupational details. Semen volume (ml), sperm concentration (x106/ml), total sperm count (x106), motility (%), progressive motility (%) and total progressively motile sperm count (x106) were measured. RESULTS: After adjusting for covariates, semen volume decreased by 0.03 ml per year of age (95% CI: –0.05, –0.01); motility decreased by 0.7% per year (95% CI: –0.92, –0.43); progressive motility decreased by 3.1% per year (95% CI: –4.5, –1.6); and total progressively motile sperm count decreased by 4.7% per year (95% CI: –7.2, –2.2). There was a suggested decrease in sperm concentration and count. The proportion of men with abnormal volume, concentration and motility was significantly increased across the age decades. CONCLUSIONS: In a convenience sample of healthy men from a non-clinical setting, semen volume and sperm motility decreased continuously between 22–80 years of age, with no evidence of a threshold.
Key words: age/semen volume/sperm concentration/sperm motility/total sperm count
* B.Eskenazi and A.J.Wyrobek were equally responsible for this work
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