No Change with Age in Semen Volume, Sperm Count and Sperm Motility in Individual Men Consulting an Infertility Clinic

Abstract

In the human male, Leydig cell function of the testis declines slowly but significantly with age. A similar decline in the spermatogenic activity, however, is not well proven by consistent data. Cross-section studies quoted in the literature mostly describe only minor changes in different sperm parameters with age. In our database we identified 253 men who had attended our department since 1989 for subsequent semen analyses at intervals of more than 1 year. The semen analyses were performed according to the guidelines of the WHO with the exception that motility parameters were measured by CASA. The mean interval between the two analyses was 967 days with a range of 341–2,731 days. None of the parameters evaluated showed a significant increase or decrease with time. The mean seminal volume was identical in the two analyses. Mean sperm count increased during the observation period by 12 · 10⁶ spermatozoa/year. In 177 patients an increase and in 73 patients a decrease occurred. Also a corresponding increase in total sperm count was observed. Sperm motility increased in 123 patients, and it decreased in 123 patients. Only slight differences in the increase or decrease of the two parameters between the groups of patients with and without a history of genital diseases and/or varicocele were found. The results of our study do not support the suggestion that the sperm parameters decrease with age.