Case Report
Influence of the Period of Abstinence on Semen Quality in a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Table 1
Summary of three semen analysis reports of an SLE male from semen samples submitted after 2, 4, and 7 days of sexual abstinence.
| | | Sexual abstinence period | WHO (2010) lower reference limits | | 2 days | 4 days | 7 days |
| | Semen parameter | | Concentration (×106/ml) | 9.8 | 37.3 | 18.8 | 15 | | Total sperm number in ejaculate (×106) | 4.9 | 26.1 | 18.8 | 39 | | Total progressive motile sperm in ejaculate (×106) | 1.0 | 2.6 | 1.7 | — | | Normal morphology (%) | 1.0 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 4 |
| | Motility assessment | | Total motility (%) | 28 | 18 | 15 | 40 | | Progressive motility (%) | 21 | 10 | 9 | 32 | | Nonprogressive motility (%) | 7 | 8 | 6 | — | | Immotility (%) | 72 | 82 | 85 | — |
| | Macroscopic examination | | Volume (ml) | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.5 | | Liquefaction (within 60 min) | Complete | Complete | Complete | — | | pH | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | ≥7.2 | | Colour | Normal | Normal | Normal | — | | Viscosity | Slightly viscous | Slightly viscous | Slightly viscous | — | | Gel clumps | None | None | None | — |
| | Microscopic investigation | | Debris | None | None | None | — | | Round cell | None | None | None | — | | Red cell | None | None | None | — | | Nonspecific aggregation | None | None | None | — | | Agglutination of sperm | None | None | None | — |
| | Sperm vitality | | Viable sperm (%) | 84 | 63 | 33 | 58 |
| | DNA fragmentation | | Average DNA fragmentation (%) | 55.3 | 34.7 | 38.3 | — |
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Total motility = progressive + nonprogressive motility. |
