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The correlation between male age, sperm quality and sperm DNA fragmentation in 320 men attending a fertility center

  • ANDROLOGY
  • Published:
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the effects of male aging on sperm quality and sperm DNA fragmentation.

Methods

The ejaculates of 320 unselected men attending a fertility clinic and, as a control, 84 normozoospermic men without any history of ART were analyzed according to WHO guidelines. Sperm DNA fragmentation was measured by flow cytometry after staining with propidiumiodide.

Results

The patients were divided into four groups: <30 years, 30–35 years, 36–39 years and ≥40 years. Sperm motility decreased with increasing age whereas sperm concentration, morphology, and DNA fragmentation fluctuated throughout the four groups both among patients and among controls. However, we could not detect any significant correlation between male age and conventional semen parameters or sperm DNA fragmentation, respectively, neither in the patients’ group nor among the controls. This also applies to a classification of patients and controls into only two age groups with a cut-off point at 35 years.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that neither the routinely assessed semen parameters nor the amount of spermatozoa with fragmented DNA are affected by male age.

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Acknowledgements

This work was gratefully supported by a grant from Merck Serono.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. ReproGen- Ulm, Einsteinstr. 59, 89077, Ulm, Germany

    Thomas Winkle, Friedrich Gagsteiger, Thomas Paiss & Nicole Zoller

  2. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Ulm, Prittwitzstrasse 43, 89075, Ulm, Germany

    Bernd Rosenbusch

  3. IVF- Center Ulm, Einsteinstr. 59, 89077, Ulm, Germany

    Friedrich Gagsteiger

  4. Urological Practice Einsteinstrasse, Einsteinstr. 59, 89077, Ulm, Germany

    Thomas Paiss

Authors
  1. Thomas Winkle
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  2. Bernd Rosenbusch
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  3. Friedrich Gagsteiger
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  4. Thomas Paiss
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  5. Nicole Zoller
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nicole Zoller.

Additional information

Capsule Neither conventional parameters of semen quality nor sperm DNA fragmentation were significantly correlated with paternal age in 320 infertility patients and 84 control subjects.

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Winkle, T., Rosenbusch, B., Gagsteiger, F. et al. The correlation between male age, sperm quality and sperm DNA fragmentation in 320 men attending a fertility center. J Assist Reprod Genet 26, 41–46 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-008-9277-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-008-9277-3

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