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. |