Seminal fructose levels in male infertility: relationship with sperm characteristics

Abstract

The relationship between seminal fructose concentration and sperm characteristics was investigated in semens of 187 suspected infertile men without evidence of disturbances in the seminal vesicular function. Sperm density, viability, motility, morphologically oval sperm, and 10 categories of defective spermatozoa (small, large, amorphous, round-head, double-head, pin-head, tapering, mid-piece defects, tail defects, and combined defects) were assessed in 6 levels of seminal fructose concentration, as follows: (1) 0 to 1.0 mg/ml; (2) 1.1 to 2.0 mg/ml; (3) 2.1 to 3.0 mg/ml; (4) 3.1 to 4.0 mg/ml; (5) 4.1 to 5.0 mg/ml; (6) >5.0 mg/ml. None of the sperm characteristics analyzed had shown statistically significant differences among the study groups. It is concluded that seminal fructose levels detected in the routine of semen analysis give no information on the clinical usefulness in defective sperm formation.