Quality Control of Laboratory Methods for Semen Evaluation in a Multicenter Research Study

Brazil, Charlene; Swan, Shanna H.; Tollner, Charlene R.; Treece, Cathy A.; Drobnis, Erma Z.; Wang, Christina; Redmon, J. Bruce; Overstreet, James W.

doi:10.1002/j.1939-4640.2004.tb02836.x

Cited by 68 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Clinic technicians also prepared seminal smears that were shipped to the andrology laboratory at UCD, where they were stained and then analyzed to determine the percentage of normal morphology. Sperm were classified as having normal or abnormal morphology according to strict criteria (16). Between-technician reliability was excellent (ICC >0.9 for all three outcome measures).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of work and life stress on semen quality

Janević

Kahn

Landsbergis

et al. 2014

Fertility and Sterility

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective To evaluate associations between work-related stress, stressful life events, and perceived stress and semen quality. Design Cross-sectional analysis. Setting Northern California. Patient(s) 193 men from the Child Health and Development Studies evaluated between 2005–2008. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Measures of stress including job strain, perceived stress, and stressful life events; outcome measures of sperm concentration, percentage of motile sperm, and percentage of morphologically normal sperm. Result(s) We found an inverse association between perceived stress score and sperm concentration (estimated coefficient b = –0.09 × 103/mL; 95% confidence interval [CI] = –0.18, –0.01), motility (b = –0.39; 95% CI = –0.79, 0.01), and morphology (b = –0.14; 95% CI, –0.25, –0.04) in covariate-adjusted linear regression analyses. Men who experienced two or more stressful life events in the past year compared with no stressful events had a lower percentage of motile sperm (b= –8.22; 95% CI, –14.31, –2.13) and a lower percentage of morphologically normal sperm (b = –1.66; 95% CI, –3.35, 0.03) but a similar sperm concentration. Job strain was not associated with semen parameters. Conclusion(s) In this first study to examine all three domains of stress, perceived stress and stressful life events but not work-related stress were associated with semen quality.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of work and life stress on semen quality

Janević

Kahn

Landsbergis

et al. 2014

Fertility and Sterility

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To assure comparability in analysis of semen samples among sites, the study’s central andrology laboratory at University of California, Davis provided central training of all lab technicians, and proficiency testing and quarterly quality control testing was performed throughout the study period (Brazil et al, 2004b). …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Semen parameters in fertile US men: the Study for Future Families

Redmon

Thomas

et al. 2013

Andrology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Establishing reference norms for semen parameters in fertile men is important for accurate assessment, counseling and treatment of men with male factor infertility. Identifying temporal or geographic variability in semen quality also requires accurate measurement of semen parameters in well-characterized, defined populations of men. The Study for Future Families (SFF) recruited men who were partners of pregnant women attending prenatal clinics in Los Angeles CA, Minneapolis MN, Columbia MO, New York City NY and Iowa City IA. Semen samples were collected on site from 763 men (73% White, 15% Hispanic/Latino, 7% Black and 5% Asian or other ethnic group) using strict quality control and well-defined protocols. Semen volume (by weight), sperm concentration (hemacytometer) and sperm motility were measured at each center. Sperm morphology (both WHO, 1999 strict and WHO, 1987) was determined at a central laboratory. Mean abstinence was 3.2 days. Mean (median; 5th – 95th percentile) values were: semen volume, 3.9 (3.7; 1.5 – 6.8) ml; sperm concentration, 60 (67; 12–192) × 106/ml; total sperm count 209 (240; 32–763) × 106; % motile, 51 (52; 28–67) %; and total motile sperm count, 104 (128; 14–395) × 106, respectively. Values for sperm morphology were 11 (10; 3–20) % and 57 (59; 38–72) % normal forms for WHO, 1999 (strict) and WHO, 1987 criteria, respectively. Black men had significantly lower semen volume, sperm concentration and total motile sperm counts than White and Hispanic/Latino men. Semen parameters were marginally higher in men who achieved pregnancy more quickly but differences were small and not statistically significant. The SFF provides robust estimates of semen parameters in fertile men living in five different geographic locations in the US. Fertile men display wide variation in all of the semen parameters traditionally used to assess fertility potential.

show abstract

“…A high-quality semen analysis still represents the cornerstone of the investigation of the infertile couple. To maintain low intratechnician and intertechnician variation and high-quality proficiency testing among laboratory technicians, continual teaching programs should be available to all (22).…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Semenology training programs: 8 years' experience

Franken

Aneck-Hahn

Lombaard

et al. 2010

Fertility and Sterility

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: To evaluate the immediate effect of hands-on training on the quality of technical skills of laboratory technicians. Design: Retrospective analytical study. Setting: Academic institutions and private infertility clinics. Participants: One hundred and ten laboratory technicians. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): First, 110 participants from 16 African countries attended 5-day semenology workshops at Tygerberg Hospital. During these workshops the methodology as described by the World Health Organization manual for the analysis of human semen, namely, sperm concentration, motility, vitality, and morphology, formed part of the curriculum. Second, two experienced morphology readers from the Tygerberg group presented 23 1-day sperm morphology workshops in nine other countries. Result(s): The semenology workshops indicated a significant improvement in the evaluation of sperm concentration only, whereas pretraining and posttraining results for motility did not differ. Vitality reports did not differ from those of the experienced worker in the first place. Calculation by means of a linear regression model showed a significant decrease in the mean posttraining scores from the pretraining scores for the sperm morphology courses. Conclusion(s):Training improved technical skills for the evaluation of morphology and sperm concentration. The evaluation of graded sperm motility seems to be more difficult to teach over a short period. ( The analysis of human semen remains, especially in developing countries, the cornerstone of male fertility investigations, and therefore laboratory technician quality assurance should be handled with great responsibility. Although many laboratories claim to use the World Health Organization (WHO) manual for the analysis of human semen as a guideline, a recent survey (1) concluded that only 5% of United Kingdom laboratories adhered to the current WHO rules for the evaluation of sperm morphology. This was also the case for staining, classification, and sampling techniques (1). These reports are possibly partly responsible for the concerns expressed that analysis of human semen has become a neglected test and should be regarded as a technique of the past (2, 3).Except for a few reports, interlaboratory comparisons between andrology laboratories are still lacking (4, 5). Reliable comparisons can be done only in cases where all laboratories use not only comparable or similar techniques but also similar standards for the evaluation of human semen, especially for sperm morphology. Despite the fact that the guidelines set for the analysis of human semen are described in detail in the WHO manual (6), our experience indicated that technicians follow selfmade rules or evaluate sperm by hand-down information obtained from senior colleagues.Hands-on training sessions seem to be mandatory to ensure that the trainees understand and follow the correct guidelines set for evaluating normal spermatozoa. We have demonstrated that, to maintain the reading skills needed to evaluate morphology, ...

show abstract

Quality Control of Laboratory Methods for Semen Evaluation in a Multicenter Research Study

Cited by 68 publications

References 21 publications

Effects of work and life stress on semen quality

Effects of work and life stress on semen quality

Semen parameters in fertile US men: the Study for Future Families

Semenology training programs: 8 years' experience

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About