The association between ambient temperature and sperm quality in Wuhan, China

Few epidemiological investigations have focused on the influence of environmental temperature on human sperm quality. Here, we evaluated the potential association between ambient temperature and human sperm quality in Wuhan, China, and examined the interactive effect of particulate matter (PM_2.5) and temperature.

1780 males who had been living in Wuhan for no less than three months and received semen analysis at the Department of Reproductive Medicine in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University between April 8, 2013 and June 30, 2015 were recruited. Daily mean meteorological data and air pollution data (PM_2.5, O₃ and NO₂) in Wuhan between 2013 and 2015 were collected. A generalized linear model was used to explore the associations between ambient temperature and sperm quality (including sperm concentration, percentage of normal sperm morphology, and progressive motility) at 0-9, 10-14, 15-69, 70-90, and 0-90 days before semen examination, and the interaction between temperature and PM_2.5.

The associations between ambient temperature and sperm quality were an inverted U-shape at five exposure windows, except for a lag of 0-9 days for sperm concentration. A 1 °C increase in ambient temperature above the thresholds was associated with a 2.038 (1.292 ~ 2.783), 1.814 (1.217 ~ 2.411), 1.458 (1.138 ~ 1.777), 0.934(0.617 ~ 1.251) and 1.604 (1.258 ~ 1.951) decrease in the percentage of normal sperm morphology at lag 0-9, lag 10-14, lag 15-69, lag 70-90, and lag 0-90 days, respectively. The interaction p-values of PM_2.5 and temperature were mostly less than 0.05 at five exposure windows. When ambient temperature exposure levels were above the thresholds, a 0.979 (0.659-1.299) and 3.559 (0.251 ~ 6.867) decrease in percentage of normal sperm morphology per 1 °C increase in temperature at lag 0-90 days was observed in the PM_2.5 ≤ P₅₀ group and PM_2.5 > P₅₀ group, respectively.

Our results indicate that exposure to ambient temperature has a threshold effect on sperm quality, and PM_2.5 enhances the effect of temperature on sperm quality when temperatures are above the threshold.