Assessment of the relationship of sperm morphology with seminal and other clinical conditions of semen donors

The occurrence of abnormal forms of spermatozoa in human semen is quite common. According to WHO, semen is considered normal even if it contains 50% morphologically abnormal spermatozoa. This study assessed whether the sperm morphology maintains any relation with the relevant clinical conditions of the semen donor. One hundred samples representing normal and different types of male factor etiologies underwent semen and morphological analysis. Clinical information such as race, age, weight, profession, medication, medical history, and smoking habit of the semen contributors were recorded. The influence of seminal and clinical features on sperm morphology was evaluated with multiple regression analysis. Head abnormalities were more common than tail abnormalities. Acrosomal defects and coiled tails were the most prevalent head and tail abnormalities, respectively. Regression analysis failed to confirm any strong association between sperm morphology and other seminal parameters. Accessory gland-related seminal parameters such as viscosity, volume, pH, and liquefaction showed the least association with the morphological variability. Sperm morphology also showed poor correlation with race, age, weight, smoking habit, and work environment.