Semen abnormalities in artificial insemination donor candidates

Area of Science:

• Andrology
• Reproductive Medicine
• Urology

Background:

• Semen analysis is crucial for assessing male fertility.
• Varicocele is a common condition affecting male reproductive health.
• Screening potential sperm donors requires rigorous evaluation of semen parameters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the semen quality of healthy male medical students as potential anonymous sperm donors.
• To determine the prevalence of abnormal semen analyses in this cohort.
• To investigate the impact of varicocele on semen parameters.

Main Methods:

• Screening of 43 healthy adult male medical students.
• Physical examination to identify varicoceles.
• Semen analysis according to established criteria.

Main Results:

• 79% of students (34 out of 43) had inadequate semen analyses.
• 10 students had varicoceles (5 bilateral).
• 80% of students with varicoceles showed abnormal semen findings.
• Semen quality issues were more frequent than sperm number deficiencies.

Conclusions:

• A high proportion of healthy male medical students exhibit suboptimal semen parameters.
• Varicocele is associated with a higher incidence of abnormal semen findings.
• Further investigation into the causes of poor semen quality in this population is warranted.