Sexual Abstinence and Sperm Quality

The scientific literature estimates that male infertility accounts for 30% to 40% of infertility among couples (13). Before fertility treatments can be initiated, it remains unclear on what should be the optimal period of sexual self-restraint required to warrant maximum quality sperm is achieved. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the abstinence time before medical examination should be between 2-7 days (4). The abstinence has been reported to help in concentrating semen, improving the percentage of the morphology of sperms, and increasing the percentage of sperm motility (5). Nonetheless, the basis of this abstinence recommendation is still debatable since it is not clear from the scientific literature. To some extent, scholars agree that no lubricants should be used as they may contain bacteria that can kill or rather destroy the produced sperms (6). The sperms should then be stored in non-spermicidal containers to increase their lifespan. For instance, sperms produced for testing should not be stored in condoms as it may affect their lifespan (7). Sperms stored in a latex condom decrease at a rate of 60% per minute. Before this masturbation, the man should have abstained from sexual activities for a period of between two and seven days (8). Over time, it has been noted that sperms quality improves after a short period of abstinence. Much research has been done to verify and validate the above statement (9). Moreover, most medical practitioners have concurred that a limited absence from sexual activity increases the quality of semen produced by a male person (10). In as much as sperm quality is affected by periods of abstinence, several factors also need to be considered when it comes to sperm motility; lifespan and morphology (11). Sperm quality is, among others, affected by nutrition and diet of the person, lack of exercise, time of ejaculation, extended long periods of stress, drug and substance abuse, physical trauma and exposure to health hazards such as radioactivity (12). This confirms the partial role of abstinence in ensuring that the quality of sperm is adequately maintained. As a result, we could only use abstinence as a function of sperm quality while holding other factors constant (13). Despite this, medical research conducted revealed that the greatest factor affecting the sperms’ quality is the level of abstinence. Most studies are interested in looking at the issues of sperm quality (14). Therefore, this means that abstinence is a weighty issue that influences the quality of sperms in both normal male individuals and men with infertility problems. Abstract Background: Previous research has documented that sexual abstinence can improve sperm quality. Sexologists have reported that sperms stored in a latex condom decrease at a rate of 60% per minute. Objective: The objective of the current review is to explore the relationship between sexual abstinence duration and other factors that affect standard and substandard semen production. Design: A scientific review of published literature. Main Outcome Measure: Specific focus is to discuss how sexual abstinence behaviours relate to the production, quality and efficiency of sperms and semen in relation to the different characteristics such as duration of abstinence, age, and psychological behaviours. The study will also seek to verify if there is a link between sexual abstinence and semen production or what triggers semen production in men. Results: From the reviewed literature, data analysis on oligozoospermic samples indicated a peak motility of 30% after 1 day of abstinence. After 2 days of abstinence, the recorded average percentage of the normal sperm morphologies among the moderate and mild oligozoospermic samples ranged from 7% to 8.5%. The increase of the normal sperm morphology was statistically significant (P < 0.003) and sperm motility (P < 0.001) that were in line with the average percentage production of 7.5% and 31.9%, respectively. The significant sperm production was recorded between day 3 and day 8 of abstinence. Conclusion: The data obtained supports the literature on abstinence in facilitating male infertility treatment. Thus, the data argues that so as to present the best semen samples for fertility treatment, men should collect semen sample after 3-8 days of abstinence as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Patients that present normal sperms give sperm donations for cryopreservation ought to be informed not to exceed the 10-day abstinence duration as the quality of the sperms is compromised.