Sperm Quality and Fertility Following Prolonged Immobilization Stress in Wistar Rats

Abstract

Abstract: Sperm quality and fertility following prolonged immobilization stress in Wistar rats was studied. Twenty adult albino wistar rats randomly divided into 2 groups (A and B) of 10 rats each were used. Group A served as control while group B rats were immobilized for 4 hour a day for 2 months. All the females that were mated with the control males became pregnant and produced litters. On the other hand, none of the females that were mated with the immobilized males got pregnant. There was also a significant difference (p<0.05) between the sperm count and sperm motility of the immobilized group (group B) and the respective values of sperm count and sperm motility of the control group (group A). These results therefore, confirm and expand existing literatures reporting impaired fertility following long-term exposure to stress.