Journal of Andrology, Vol 12, Issue 2 126-131, Copyright © 1991 by The American Society of Andrology

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Longitudinal study of semen quality of unexposed workers. Sperm motility characteristics

S. M. Schrader, T. W. Turner and S. D. Simon
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Biomedical and Behavioral Science, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226-1988.

As part of a longitudinal study of human semen characteristics of unexposed workers, sperm motility measurements were made using computer-assisted sperm analysis. Motility analyses were conducted on monthly samples from 46 men for 9 months. Measurements of curvilinear velocity, straight-line velocity (VSL), linearity, amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH), and beat-cross frequency were collected in eight microscope fields for each semen sample. The variability within a sample, between samples from the same individual (between monthly samples), and between individuals were calculated using a nested analysis of variance. For all sperm motility measurements, at least 90% of the variation was observed between cells within a semen sample. For all variables, the component of variation between subjects was the smallest percentage (ranging from 1.3% for ALH to 4.0% for VSL). When sample means were used in the nested analysis of variation, at least 75% of the variation was observed between samples from the same individual. These results will be useful in power calculations for future studies.

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