Secular changes in the semen quality in India during past 33 years

Abstract

Several studies have suggested a change in semen quality over last 60 years in many regions of the world, but such studies are lacking for Indian population. In the present study, we aimed at investigating if semen quality has changed during last three decades in normal healthy Indians. We retrieved data on semen quality for Indian men without a history of infertility from published studies and analyzed it for trend in individual semen quality parameters using regression modeling. Semen parameters of 19,734 normal healthy men from studies published over past 33 years (from 1978 onwards) were used for this purpose. Linear regression analysis weighted by sample size and controlling for age of the subjects revealed a significant decline in sperm motility and a significant increase in sperm concentration. Other semen parameters did not change significantly over this period. In conclusion, there has been a genuine decline in sperm motility and an increase in sperm concentration, which is corroborated by a recent study on Indian subjects.