Semen quality improves marginally during young adulthood: a longitudinal follow-up study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Semen quality improves marginally during young adulthood

T2 - a longitudinal follow-up study

AU - Perheentupa, Antti

AU - Sadov, Sergey

AU - Rönkä, Riitta

AU - Virtanen, Helena E.

AU - Rodprasert, Wiwat

AU - Vierula, Matti

AU - Jørgensen, Niels

AU - Skakkebæk, Niels E

AU - Toppari, Jorma

N1 - © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

PY - 2016/3/1

Y1 - 2016/3/1

N2 - STUDY QUESTION Does semen quality improve during early adulthood? SUMMARY ANSWER Semen variables change little during the third decade of life, however some improvement in sperm morphology and motility may occur. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY A suspicion of deteriorating semen quality has been raised in several studies. The longitudinal development of semen quality in early adulthood is insufficiently understood. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A longitudinal follow-up of two cohorts of volunteer young adult Finnish men representing the general population was carried out. Cohorts A (discovery cohort, born 1979-1981, n = 336) and B (validation cohort, born 1983, n = 197) were followed up from the age of 19 years onward for 10 years. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Inclusion criteria included that both the men and their mothers were born in Finland. Semen analysis was performed in cohorts A and B at 2-4 year intervals over a period of 10 years. Semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, motility, total motile count and morphology were the variables assessed in the analysis. A physical examination was carried out at each visit to detect any significant andrological abnormalities. The overall participation rate was 13.4%. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE During the follow-up, the percentage of sperm with normal morphology and the percentage of motile sperm increased significantly both in the discovery (A) (P < 0.001 at 19 versus 29 years for both) and validation (B) (P < 0.001 and P = 0.03 at 19 versus 29 years, respectively) cohort. Sperm concentration and total sperm count showed a significant increase with age only in cohort B (P = 0.03 at 21 versus 29 years, P = 0.009 at 19 versus 29 years, respectively). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION A limited number of men participated both in the first round and in the final fourth round (cohort A, n = 111 and cohort B, n = 90 men) and in all four rounds (cohort A, n = 61 and cohort B, n = 52). WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Almost full spermatogenic capacity is reached by the age of 19 years. However, the improvement in sperm motility and morphology during early adulthood may slightly improve male fecundity.

AB - STUDY QUESTION Does semen quality improve during early adulthood? SUMMARY ANSWER Semen variables change little during the third decade of life, however some improvement in sperm morphology and motility may occur. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY A suspicion of deteriorating semen quality has been raised in several studies. The longitudinal development of semen quality in early adulthood is insufficiently understood. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A longitudinal follow-up of two cohorts of volunteer young adult Finnish men representing the general population was carried out. Cohorts A (discovery cohort, born 1979-1981, n = 336) and B (validation cohort, born 1983, n = 197) were followed up from the age of 19 years onward for 10 years. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Inclusion criteria included that both the men and their mothers were born in Finland. Semen analysis was performed in cohorts A and B at 2-4 year intervals over a period of 10 years. Semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, motility, total motile count and morphology were the variables assessed in the analysis. A physical examination was carried out at each visit to detect any significant andrological abnormalities. The overall participation rate was 13.4%. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE During the follow-up, the percentage of sperm with normal morphology and the percentage of motile sperm increased significantly both in the discovery (A) (P < 0.001 at 19 versus 29 years for both) and validation (B) (P < 0.001 and P = 0.03 at 19 versus 29 years, respectively) cohort. Sperm concentration and total sperm count showed a significant increase with age only in cohort B (P = 0.03 at 21 versus 29 years, P = 0.009 at 19 versus 29 years, respectively). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION A limited number of men participated both in the first round and in the final fourth round (cohort A, n = 111 and cohort B, n = 90 men) and in all four rounds (cohort A, n = 61 and cohort B, n = 52). WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Almost full spermatogenic capacity is reached by the age of 19 years. However, the improvement in sperm motility and morphology during early adulthood may slightly improve male fecundity.

KW - Adult

KW - Age Factors

KW - Finland

KW - Humans

KW - Longitudinal Studies

KW - Male

KW - Multivariate Analysis

KW - Reproductive Health

KW - Semen Analysis

KW - Sperm Count

KW - Sperm Motility

KW - Spermatogenesis

KW - Journal Article

KW - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

U2 - 10.1093/humrep/dev328

DO - 10.1093/humrep/dev328

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 26740579

SN - 0268-1161

VL - 31

SP - 502

EP - 510

JO - Human Reproduction

JF - Human Reproduction

IS - 3

ER -