[Changes of semen quality in Chinese fertile men from 1985 to 2008]

To analyze the changes of semen quality in Chinese fertile men during the past 24 years.

We reviewed the literature on the sperm quality of Chinese fertile males published from 1985 to 2008, collected relevant data, and analyzed the changes in semen volume, sperm density, and total sperm count by linear regression.

There were no significant changes either in semen volume during the period of 1985-2008 (P >0. 05) , or in sperm density and total sperm count from 1985 to 1994 (P > 0.05). However, significant decreases were observed during the latter 14 years in sperm density (from 81.5 x 10(6)/ml in 1995 to 66.7 x 10(6)/ml in 2008, with a mean annual reduction of 1.40%) and total sperm count (from 257.2 x 10(6) in 1995 to 185.9 x 10(6) in 2008, with a mean annual reduction of 2. 15%) (P < 0.05).

The semen quality of Chinese fertile men showed no significant changes from 1985 to 1995, but evidently declined from 1995 to 2008, which may be attributed to the aggravated environmental pollution induced by heavy chemical industry.