introduction: to examine the effects of opium dependence and cigarette smoking on semen quality and sperm parameters, the semen quality of men who abuse opiates and/or smoke cigarettes was investigated in a retrospective study. methods: male partners of 1325 infertile couples attending the infertility clinic for intrauterine insemination (iui) procedure were divided into non-smoking non-opium (...

background: previous researches about the effect of smoking on semen quality are contradictory, and the mechanism behind the harmful effect of smoking on semen quality still remains unclear until today. objective: the objectives of this study are evaluation of the relationship between smoking and fertility, investigation of the effects of cigarette smoking on sperm parameters and detection of p...

background: although the effectiveness of ginger as an antioxidant agent has been exploited, little human research has been conducted on its activity on male reproductive functions. objective: this study was designed to investigate the effects of ginger (zingiber officinale) on sperm dna fragmentation (sdf) in infertile men. materials and methods: this randomized double-blind, placebo-controlle...

In view of the well known sensitivity of the seminiferous epithelium to various stress factors and to chemicals one would expect that semen analyses would be part of many screening programs to detect dangerous chemicals and environmental hazards. This is not the case, and our knowledge about the production and functional properties of human spermatozoa is mainly based on analyses of specimens f...

A practical approach to semen analysis (SA) interpretation and the initial management of subfertile men is presented. Each parameter of the SA is described and management recommendations based upon SA findings are provided. The indications for and interpretation of adjunctive diagnostic testing for male factor subfertility are also discussed.

background: glycosidases profusion in male reproductive fluids suggests a possible relationship with sperm function. although hexosaminidase (hex) is the most active glycosidase in epididymal fluid and seminal plasma, as well as in spermatozoa, glucosidase is considered a marker for epididymal function and azoospermia. objective: the aim of this study was to determine hex activity in seminal pl...

semen analysis, sperm dna fragmentation (sdf) and hypo-osmotic swelling test (host) are usually performed for the evaluation of sperm fertilizing ability. there are some debates over the necessity of sdf and host incorporation in male infertility work-up.semen of 77 men was evaluated by sdf and host through three semen analyses. sperm parameters were arranged into different categories: < 5%, 5-...

Semen analysis is the first test requested when fertility potential of a man becomes questionable. The results of the semen analysis are often taken as a surrogate measure of his ability to father a pregnancy. The test provides information on the functional status of the seminiferous tubules, epididymis, seminal vesicles, and the prostate. Thus the results of the test should be interpreted in t...

Some previous studies have identified bacteria in semen as being a potential factor in male infertility. However, only few types of bacteria were taken into consideration while using PCR-based or culturing methods. Here we present an analysis approach using next-generation sequencing technology and bioinformatics analysis to investigate the associations between bacterial communities and semen q...