Short abstinence: A potential strategy for the improvement of sperm quality

Objective

To determine the effect of short (4 h) and long (4 days) abstinence periods on sperm quality based on functional and biochemical parameters in a population of normozoospermic men.

Methods

Two semen samples were collected in succession from potentially fertile, normozoospermic men (n = 100) after an abstinence period of 4 days and 4 h respectively. The mean values of semen volume, pH, viscosity, sperm concentration, percentage of total and progressively motile sperm, sperm kinematics/velocity, normal morphology, acrosome status, DNA fragmentation, intracellular superoxide (O₂^??) levels and seminal antioxidant status were compared between the two abstinence duration groups.

Results

A significant increase in total and progressive motility and velocity parameter values were observed after short abstinence compared with long abstinence periods. Sperm DNA fragmentation and intracellular O₂^?? levels were not significantly different between the two abstinence periods. Despite the decrease in semen volume, sperm concentration and total sperm number after short abstinence periods, all mean values of the conventional semen parameters remained above the lower reference limits as reported by the WHO.

Conclusion

The data from this most comprehensive study of its kind challenges the generally accepted guidelines of the prolonged abstinence periods since the results show that 4 h of sexual abstinence yielded significantly better sperm samples from a functional point of view. Although this study was performed on normozoospermic men, future studies with infertile men might yield similar findings that could lead to employing short abstinence as a strategy to improve the outcome of ART and fertility preservation.