Volumetric analysis of human spermatozoa

In 29 semen samples of men participating in an in vitro fertilization (IVF)-program the spermatozoan volume was determined on an electronic particle analyzer and a routine semen analysis was performed including the estimation of semen volume, sperm concentration, motility and morphology. Twenty three of the 29 semen samples were able to fertilize human oocytes in the IVF-procedure. There was no statistically significant difference noted between the spermatozoan volume of the fertile (16.25 +/- 0.43 cu microns) and the infertile samples (16.9 +/- 0.57 cu microns). Logistic regression analysis indicated that spermatozoan volume was not a significant predictor of fertility. Furthermore, none of the standard sperm parameters appear to be closely related to the mean spermatozoan volume.