The Semen of Fertile Men in Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

Evaluation of male fertility potential involves basic semen analyses. Perhaps semen concentration is the most widely utilized semen parameter. Decline in sperm count has been described in several reports in both developed and developing countries. The objectives of the study was to assess decline in semen concentration in apparently fertile healthy men in Jos, Nigeria. During the period of the study, semen samples were obtained from men of proven fertility. These consisted 106 men who were male partners of pregnant women drawn from antenatal clinics. Apparently healthy fertile Nigerian men showing sperm count greater than 20 million/ml were considered for the study. The study reported a mean sperm concentration of 46.0 x 10⁶/ml and (20.0 – 97.3 x 10⁶/ml) confidence interval for fertile men. Environmental, life style and dietary factors may be possible causes of decline in sperm production. The present data confirm wide variability in the assessment of sperm concentration. We suggest adherence to recommended methodologies and comprehensive structured training of laboratory personnel performing semen analysis in order to reduce inter-observer variability.

Keywords: Male fertility, semen concentration, fertile men, decline