Occupation May Affect Semen Quality 

Reuters Health Services 19jan98

NEW YORK -- A man's occupation may affect the quality of his semen, according to results of a Canadian study published in Fertility and Sterility.

Dr. Philip L. Bigelow and colleagues at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, analyzed semen samples obtained from 845 men, aged 20 to 69, and used questionnaires to gather data on occupation and lifestyle factors.

An association between working on a farm and semen quality emerged. "The average sperm concentration for the group was 87.7 million sperm per milliliter (mL), while the average sperm concentration for farm workers was 77.5 million sperm/mL," the editors of the journal note in an accompanying press release. The researchers also report an insignificant link between defective sperm and employment in the welding and transportation industries.

Stress at work may also affect semen quality. The researchers found that the more stress a man reported at work, the more likely his semen showed deterioration in five aspects: total motile count, morphology (shape), abnormal heads, coiled tail defects, and percent progressive sperm.

Bigelow's team says they performed this study to "...compare two statistical approaches, case-control and analysis of continuous parameters of semen, in examining the relationship between occupational exposures and male reproductive function." They conclude, based on their findings, that only the latter approach will uncover "...subtle changes in semen variables, possibly associated with workplace exposures." They add that exposure to various substances on the job probably plays "...a relatively minor role in the etiology of male infertility." SOURCE: Fertility and Sterility (1998;69:11-18) AMERICAN FERTILITY SOCIETY

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