Journal of Andrology
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Published-Ahead-of-Print May 13, 2010, DOI:10.2164/jandrol.109.009647

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Semen Quality Decline among Men below 60 years of age Undergoing IVF or ICSI Treatment

Fatima Hammiche , Joop Laven , Jolanda Boxmeer , Gert Dohle , Eric Steegers , and Regine Steegers-Theunissen *

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: r.steegers{at}erasmusmc.nl.

Due to changes in the society, couples in Western countries are increasingly delaying reproduction. This is accompanied by unhealthy lifestyles that may not only be detrimental to general health but also for reproductive capacity. It is well-known that maternal age has detrimental effects on fertility; the paternal influence on this outcome is largely unknown. This study aims to investigate associations between a paternal age below 60 years of age, lifestyles and sperm quality. In a periconceptional prospective cohort study we included two hundred twenty-seven men undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment. Age at sperm collection, lifestyles, cause of subfertility, ethnicity, sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI), as marker of sperm DNA damage) and sperm parameters were determined. Linear regression analyses showed a positive association between a rising age from 26 to 59 years and DFI (P≤0.01) and an inverse association with ejaculate volume (P≤0.05). Inverse associations were determined between DFI and all conventional sperm parameters (all P≤0.01). There were no associations between smoking, alcohol use, BMI and DFI and sperm parameters. Dutch men compared to migrants, however, showed a higher DFI (P≤0.05) independent of lifestyles. We conclude that the trend of delaying fatherhood in men undergoing IVF or ICSI treatment is detrimental to sperm quality.


Key words: Age • DNA_Fragmentation_Index • Lifestyle • Semen Parameters






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