Changes in the semen quality among 5739 men seeking infertility treatment in Northern Norway over past 20 years (1993–2012)

Semen quality plays a pivotal role in sustaining the fertility rate and healthy population growth. Therefore, assessment of temporal trends in the semen quality provides valuable public health information. We analyzed the semen quality parameters of 5739 North Norwegian men among consecutive couples...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Reproductive Biotechnology and Fertility
Main Authors: Basnet, Purusotam, Hansen, Sissel A, Olaussen, Inger K, Hentemann, Martha A, Acharya, Ganesh
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publications 2016
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Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2058915816633539
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2058915816633539
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1177/2058915816633539
Description
Summary:Semen quality plays a pivotal role in sustaining the fertility rate and healthy population growth. Therefore, assessment of temporal trends in the semen quality provides valuable public health information. We analyzed the semen quality parameters of 5739 North Norwegian men among consecutive couples attending the fertility clinic of University Hospital of North Norway for investigation and/or treatment from 1993 to 2012. The seminal fluid volume, sperm concentration, and total sperm count were found to have gradually decreased during the past 20 years. The proportion of hypospermic, azoospermic, and oligozoospermic men had increased by 24.6% ( p < 0.001), 109.5% ( p < 0.001), and 9.5% ( p = 0.05), respectively, in the last decade (2003–2012) compared to the first decade (1993–2002). The parameters of semen quality are rapidly deteriorating in North Norwegian men seeking fertility treatment.