Decline in Semen Quality in Men in Northern Taiwan between 2001 and 2010

Li, Ching Jen; Tzeng, Chii‐Ruey; Chen, Ruey‐Yu; Han, Bor-Cheng; Yeh, Chien-Yuh; Chien, Ling-Chu

doi:10.4077/cjp.2016.baf441

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Recently, a rigorous and comprehensive metaanalysis of studies conducted between 1973 and 2011 reported that among men from western countries, sperm counts (measured either by sperm concentration or total sperm number) have declined by more than 50% (Levine et al, 2017). Likewise, a variety of other studies have also reported that semen quality is continuously declining (Li et al, 2016;Sengupta et al, 2017;2018). Although previous studies have demonstrated that some risk factors, including herbicides, pesticides and environmental pollutants, might be associated with decreased semen quality, the underlying causes of decreasing semen quality are largely uncertain (Xiao et al, 2001;Sharpe, 2010;Bloom et al, 2015;Chiu et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between BMI and semen quality: an observational study of 3966 sperm donors

Zhou

et al. 2018

Human Reproduction

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STUDY QUESTION What is the relationship between abnormal BMI and semen quality? SUMMARY ANSWER Underweight was significantly associated with lower sperm concentration, total sperm number and total motile sperm count, while overweight was significantly associated with lower semen volume, total sperm number and total motile sperm count. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Abnormal BMI has been associated with lower semen quality, but the results remain somewhat controversial. In addition, most previous studies have focused on the influence of obesity or overweight on semen quality, and evidence on the association between underweight and semen quality is rare. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This research was an observational study investigating 3966 sperm donors from a large sperm bank in Wuhan city, China. These donors passed the screening for sperm donation and underwent 29 949 semen examinations between 1 January 2013 and 9 April 2018. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS BMI was categorized into four groups: underweight (<18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5–24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25–29.9 kg/m2) and obese (≥30 kg/m2). Semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm number, total motility, progressive motility and total motile sperm count were determined by trained clinical technicians. Linear mixed models were used to conduct dose–response analyses between BMI and semen quality parameters. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Underweight was significantly associated with a 3.0% (95% CI: 0.1%, 5.8%), 6.7% (1.9%, 11.3%) and 7.4% (2.2%, 12.4%) reduction in sperm concentration, total sperm number and total motile sperm count, respectively. Overweight was significantly associated with a 4.2% (1.6%, 6.8%), 3.9% (0.9%, 6.9%) and 3.6% (0.2%, 6.9%) reduction in semen volume, total sperm number and total motile sperm count, respectively. Non-linear models including continuous BMI as a natural cubic spline function yielded similar results. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Our study subjects were sperm donors who are typically young and healthy, and therefore not representative of the general male population. Caution should be paid in generalizing our results to other populations. Furthermore, we did not measure the donors’ weight repeatedly along with each semen donation; instead, we only measured it once during the screening, which may cause bias due to the variations of weight across time. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Our study provides evidence that underweight and overweight are associated with lower semen quality, and highlights the importance of maintaining a normal weight for men. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This work was supported by the Health and Family Planning Commission of Hubei Province (Grant number WJ2015MA027), the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League of China, and Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research at the University of Iowa. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between BMI and semen quality: an observational study of 3966 sperm donors

Zhou

et al. 2018

Human Reproduction

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“…How to curb the decline in semen quality and improve regional reproductive health is an urgent and important issue in many countries and regions. 4 17 The main symptoms of male infertility can be divided into azoospermia, low semen volume, asthenozoospermia, and teratozoospermia. Studying the main types, composition, and trends of abnormal semen symptoms in male infertile populations is important for guiding the prevention and treatment of regional male infertility.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of semen quality of 38 905 infertile male patients during 2008–2016 in Wenzhou, China

Chen

Fei

et al. 2021

Asian Journal of Andrology

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This study analyzed the trend in semen quality of infertile male patients in Wenzhou, China, based on the data obtained from 38 905 patients during 2008–2016 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University (Wenzhou, China). The results showed that only 24.9% of the patients had normal semen quality. For the semen quality of infertile male patients, that of the workers and 40-year-olds was significantly worse than the other occupational and age groups. For all the infertile patients, low semen volume, asthenozoospermia, and teratozoospermia accounted for 8.4%, 50.5%, and 54.1%, respectively. During 2008–2016, the annual mean percentage of fast forward motile spermatozoa, percentage of total forward motile spermatozoa, and percentage of spermatozoa with normal morphology decreased linearly with slopes of −2.11, −2.59, and −0.70, respectively. The proportion of patients with asthenozoospermia and multi-abnormal spermatozoa increased during 2008–2016 with slopes of 4.70 and 4.87, respectively, while for low semen volume, it decreased with a slope of −0.47 in the same time period. The proportion of patients with teratozoospermia increased from 2008 to 2011 and from 2011 to 2016 with slopes of 17.10 and 2.09, respectively. In general, the deteriorating trend of semen quality of infertile male patients in Wenzhou was obvious. Future efforts should be made to reveal the adverse influences on semen quality, such as occupational exposure, environmental quality, and living habits. Furthermore, more pervasive reproduction health education is necessary.

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“…As far as we know, this is the first study on time trends in semen quality among Chinese men in Henan Province. Studies [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][23][24][25] suggest that semen quality is declining globally, however, the debate remains open due to the possible effects of ethnic and geographical differences. In contrast, several other studies have reported no significant change in semen quality [9][10][11][12] .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The annualized rate of decline in the total motility was lower than that reported in America (2% per year) 23 , but it was higher than that reported in Paris (0.6% per year) 2 and Marseille (0.4% per year) 4 . The possible reasons for the discrepancy are as follows: (1) small sample size are used in the previous study 10,11 ; (2) subjects in these studies are fertile men 2,3,11 or infertile men 5,21,25 ; (3) there are differences in lifestyle habits, ethnicity, and geographical regions [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][22][23][24][25] ; (4) the different study periods [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][22][23][24][25] .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A longitudinal study of semen quality among Chinese sperm donor candidates during the past 11 years

Liu

Dai

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Studies suggest that semen quality is declining globally, however, the debate remains open due to the possible effects of ethnic and geographical differences. This study aimed to explore whether semen quality of sperm donor candidates has changed in Henan Province, China from 2009 to 2019. In this retrospective study, we included 23,936 sperm donor candidates who were recruited by the Henan Human Sperm Bank of China between 2009 and 2019. To minimize intra-individual bias, we included only the first ejaculate provided by each sperm donor candidate. The following parameters were measured: volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, progressive motility, and total motility. After adjustment for age, body mass index (BMi), and sexual abstinence duration, we evaluated changes in main semen parameters over time using multiple linear regression analyses. The sperm concentration decreased from 62.0 million/mL in 2009 to 32.0 million/mL in 2019 (P < 0.001), with an average annual rate of 3.9%. The total sperm count decreased from 160.0 million in 2009 to 80.0 million in 2019 (P < 0.001), with an average annual rate of 4.2%. The progressive motility decreased from 54.0% in 2009 to 40.0% in 2019 (P < 0.001), with an average annual rate of 2.5%. The total motility decreased from 60.0% in 2009 to 46.0% in 2019 (P < 0.001), with an average annual rate of 1.9%. Our results indicated that semen quality among sperm donor candidates had decreased during the study period in Henan Province, China. The semen analysis is the most important and the most widely used clinical laboratory test to evaluate male fertility potential. In 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria had reduced the reference interval of sperm concentration from 20 to 15 million/mL. Concerns about a global decline in semen quality have attracted the attention of researchers and the general public alike. There is an ongoing debate on whether semen quality is declining. In 1992, Carlsen et al 1. reviewed 61 studies and found a worldwide decline trend in semen volume and sperm concentration between 1938 and 1991. After that, several studies have reported a decrease in semen quality in Paris 2 , Tours 3 , Marseille 4 , São Paulo 5 , Shandong 6 , Changsha 7 , and South India 8. In contrast, several other studies have reported no significant change in semen quality in Sydney 9 , Malmö 10 , Montevideo 11 , and Copenhagen 12. These discrepancies could be explained by ethnic, geographical, lifestyle, environmental and between-center variations 13-16. To accurately evaluate changes in semen quality, ethnic, geographical, and between-center variations must be taken into account 15,16. A single-center retrospective investigation of possible changes in semen quality, using the same equipment and based on a large population over a long period of time, has been recommended to minimize these confounding factors 17,18. Based on this, laboratories must conduct their local studies over a certain period of time. Large and long-term population studies on time trends in se...

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Decline in Semen Quality in Men in Northern Taiwan between 2001 and 2010

Cited by 15 publications

References 28 publications

Association between BMI and semen quality: an observational study of 3966 sperm donors

Association between BMI and semen quality: an observational study of 3966 sperm donors

Analysis of semen quality of 38 905 infertile male patients during 2008–2016 in Wenzhou, China

A longitudinal study of semen quality among Chinese sperm donor candidates during the past 11 years

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