Sperm from spinal cord injured men lose motility faster than sperm from normal men: the effect is exacerbated at body compared to room temperature

Abstract

Purpose: We investigated if sperm from spinal cord injured men lose motility and viability faster than sperm from normal men, and if there is an effect of temperature on these parameters.

Materials and methods: Identical aliquots of fresh antegrade semen from 10 spinal cord injured men and 9 normal controls were stored at room temperature (23C) or body temperature (37C). Sperm motility and viability were measured at 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours after semen collection.

Results: Sperm motility, particularly rapid linear motility, decreased faster in specimens from spinal cord injured men compared to normal controls. This effect was exacerbated at 37C. Heat did not affect the degradation of sperm motility in specimens from normal men. The percent of dead sperm in specimens from spinal cord injured men was significantly greater than that in normal men at all time points. However, the rate of cell death was not faster than normal with time or heat.

Conclusions: When using sperm from spinal cord injured men for purposes of insemination or experimentation the rapid loss of motility must be considered, particularly when stored at body temperature.