Semen parameters in 114 fertile men

We studied the quality of semen in 114 fertile men (their wives were in the first trimester of pregnancy), aged 31.9 +/- 5.7 yr. The results (mean +/- S.D.) were as follows: number of spermatozoa, (72 +/- 61.6) X 10(6)/ml; motile spermatozoa, 56.6% +/- 13.5; spermatozoal velocity, 34.2 +/- 4.3 microns/s; motility index, 19.5 +/- 5.6 microns/s; normal forms, 51.7% +/- 13. It was found that the percentage of motile spermatozoa and the index of motility decrease progressively, at a rate of about 5-10% per hour. In contrast, in the majority of cases, sperm velocity increases during the first 4 h. Low significant correlations was found between percentage of motility and spermatozoal velocity the first hour after ejaculation. Furthermore, moderate significant correlations were found between number of spermatozoa/ml, percentage of motility and normal forms. Finally, low significant negative correlation was found between number of spermatozoa/ml and spermatozoal velocity.