The World Health Organization (WHO) has extensively revised its manual for semen analysis, and seeks to provide reference limits for semen quality parameters. This raises the question of what is meant by 'normal' (excluding the use of this term to denote a Gaussian distribution). It could be taken in a purely statistical sense, using a biologically arbitrary cut-off point to denote an abnormal ...

Collecting baseline information on how laboratories perform testing is a reasonable first step towards establishing intra- and inter-laboratory standardization and quality control for semen analysis. We carried out a survey of the laboratories performing the testing in Mainland China. A questionnaire, composed of 36 questions covering all aspects of semen analysis, was designed, and a copy was ...

A few studies have found poor semen quality in sons whose mothers have received fertility treatment, but it is unknown whether the poor semen quality is related to the infertility treatment or to infertility per se, for example, whether it is caused by hereditable factors. Using data from a population-based, Danish follow-up study conducted in 2005–2006, the authors of the present study examine...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether there is an association between abnormal semen parameters and occupational exposures to organic solvents, metals, and pesticides. DESIGN Case-control study using three case groups based on different cutoff values for semen parameters and one standard reference group. SETTING University Hospital Utrecht and University Hospital Rotterdam, the Netherlands. PATI...

PURPOSE The purpose of this paper is to test the validity of hypothesis that the index finger and ring finger ratio (2D:4D) is related with men's semen quality. MATERIALS AND METHODS We set two groups of healthy young male student (mean age 23.9) who have different 2D:4D ratio from different departments of Chosun University. One group consists of 26 men whose 2D:4D ratio is higher than 1 (mea...

BACKGROUND A number of studies have indicated regional differences in semen quality. To examine the current status in Japan, we undertook a cross-sectional study on the semen quality of fertile Japanese men for comparison with recent European results. METHODS Semen parameters of 324 fertile men from the Kawasaki/Yokohama area were investigated. The semen parameters were compared with those pu...

BACKGROUND Denmark and Norway have a three-fold higher incidence of testicular cancer than Estonia and Finland. Groups of young men from Denmark, Norway, Finland and Estonia were investigated to elucidate whether semen parameters and other related parameters follow a gradient between these countries, as does the gradient in incidence of testicular cancer. METHODS In total, 968 young men from ...

Impaired semen quality and testicular cancer may be linked through a testicular dysgenesis syndrome of foetal origin. The incidence of testis cancer has been shown to increase among Finnish men, whereas there is no recent publication describing temporal trends in semen quality. Therefore, we carried out a prospective semen quality study and a registry study of testis cancer incidence among Finn...

The present study aimed to compare the in vitro fertilizing capacity of frozen-thawed ejaculated and epididymal spermatozoa in order to standardize the semen preparation protocol for camel in vitro fertilization (IVF). Semen samples were collected from 7 Dromedary camels by means of artificial vagina (AV). Ten cauda epididymes were obtained from slaughtered adult camels, isolated, incised and r...