Archives of Andrology

Journal of Reproductive Systems

ISSN: 0148-5016 (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/iaan19

Effects of Varying the Abstinence Period in the

same Individuals on Sperm Quality

Ø. Magnus, A. Tollefsrud, T. Árbyholm & K. Purvis

To cite this article: Ø. Magnus, A. Tollefsrud, T. Árbyholm & K. Purvis (1991) Effects of Varying
the Abstinence Period in the same Individuals on Sperm Quality, Archives of Andrology, 26:3,
199-203, DOI: 10.3109/01485019108987644

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.3109/01485019108987644

Published online: 09 Jul 2009.

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 EFFECTS OF VARYING THE ABSTINENCE
PERIOD IN THE SAME INDIVIDUALS
ON SPERM QUALITY

0. MAGNUS, A. TOLLEFSRUD, T. ABYHOLM,

and K. PURVIS

Fourteen men each provided semen samples after 3 , 6 , and 10 days abstinence in a sequence decided by
the individual and over a period of approximately 6 weeks. The proportion of sperm displaying pro-
gressive motility remained relatively constant up to 6 days but declined after a further 4 days of
abstinence. This decrease was not associated with any major changes in sperm morphology or vitality.
The total number of sperm with progressive movement in the ejaculate increased after 6 days and
remained high after 10 days of abstinence. In subjects with asthenozoospermia, the greatest increase in
the total number of sperm in the ejaculate occurred between 6 and 10 days. For men with reduced
sperm quality participating in assisted fertilization programs, it may be advantageous to advise longer
periods of abstinence, up to 10 days, prior to semen collection.

Key Words: Sperm volume; Concentration; Motility and morphology; Abstinence period.

INTRODUCTION

In spite of several studies on the effects of the length of the abstinence period on sperm
quality [4-5,8,9], confusion still exists about a recommended upper limit in routine clinical
studies. It is also unclear in cases of assisted fertilization whether the duration of the absti-
nence period should be varied according to the sperm quality of the individual. In such studies,
the effects of varying abstinence must be evaluated in the same person and the different
periods of abstinence must be randomly selected and sufficiently spaced so as not to influence
the results. The present study focuses on the effects of varying the period of sexual abstinence
on sperm quality in the same individual and examines the extent to which these effects may be
influenced by his sperm quality.

Received December 5 , 1990; accepted February 1, 1991.

From the N F Laboratory (O.M., T.A.), Andrology Laboratory (A.T., K.P.), National Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Address correspondence to Dr. Kenneth Purvis, Andrology Laboratory, Institute of Pathology, National Hospital,
0027 Oslo 1, Norway.
These studies were supported by the Norwegian Society for Science and the Humanities (NAVF).

ARCHIVES OF ANDROLOGY 26: 199-203 (1991)

Copyright 0 1991 by Hemisphere Publishing Corporation 199
200 0 . Magnus et al.
MATERIALS/METHODS
Subjects
Five students and 9 male partners of women with tuba1 obstruction waiting for IVF-treatment partici-
pated in the study. Their sperm qualities were first assessed several weeks prior to the study to exclude
those subjects exhibiting azoospermia and severe oligospermia. Each subject provided three sperm sam-
ples by masturbation after 3, 6, and 10 days of abstinence in a random sequence decided by the individ-
ual himself. The only stipulation was that there should be an interval of at least two weeks between each
sample.

Assessment of Sperm Quality

The ejaculates were allowed to liquify at room temperature for 30 min before analysis.
Three sperm characteristics were measured. The first, sperm concentration, was estimated
using a Makler chamber after diluting and immobilizing the sperm in 5 % chloramine-T
(1 : 10). The second, sperm motility, included percentage of motile sperm, their average
velocity, and the percentage of sperm exhibiting progressive movement (velocity exceeding 15
pm/sec). These were measured at different time intervals using a sperm motility analyzer
based on a laser-Doppler technique (Lazymot, BTG Biotechnik GmbH, Dusseldorf, Ger-
many). Details of the Lazymot system have been published previously [7]. The third, percent-
age of abnormal and vital sperm after 30 min, was carried out by vital staining using eosin Y
and nigrosin (one drop of semen mixed with one drop of 0.5% eosin Y and two drops
nigrosin), and staining with Harris’s hematoxylin for the assessment of morphology.
Statistics
Data were analyzed by two-way analysis of variance after logarithmic transformation in
cases where the distribution was suspected to deviate from normal sperm count.

RESULTS
Increasing the abstinence period from 3 to 10 days, on average, increased the sperm con-
centration and the total number of sperm in the ejaculates by approximately 50% @ < 0.05)
and 65% @ < 0.01), respectively (Fig. 1). Semen volume was not significantly affected.
Although the proportion of motile sperm and their average velocities (data not shown) were
not influenced by the length of abstinence, the proportion with progressive motility (exceeding
15 pm/sec) was significantly lower @ < 0.05) after 10 days than after 3 or 6 days. In
contrast, the total number of progressive sperm in the ejaculates increased significantly @ <
0.05) when the period of abstinence was extended to 6 and 10 days. No consistent change in
the proportion of morphologically abnormal or living sperm in the ejaculates could be demon-
strated over the period studied.
When the data were reanalyzed after dividing the group into normal and asthenozoospermic
subjects (>30% and <20% progressive), differences in the response to varying the absti-
nence period became apparent (Fig. 2 ) . Although the proportion of progressive sperm declined
significantly 0) < 0.05) in the normospermic group after 10 days of abstinence, no significant
alteration could be detected in the asthenozoospermic individuals after the same length of time.
Whereas the total number of sperm in the ejaculate stabilized in the normospermic individuals
 Sperm Quality and Sexual Abstinence 20 1

j -i.:io I0 6 10
3

150- 150,
z
2
! T
I-w

0
0
3
I
10

D A Y S ABSTINENCE

FIGURE 1 Relationship between the length of the abstinence period (3-10 days) and ejaculate
volume and sperm quality. Vertical bars represent means *
SE (n = 14).

between 6 and 10 days, the largest increase in the group with asthenozoospermia occurred
after 6 days.

DISCUSSION
In a previous study of the sperm quality of 3 12 men attending our andrology laboratory for
fertility investigation, correlation analysis indicated that the proportion of sperm exhibiting
forward progression decreased with increasing periods of sexual abstinence [7]. This con-
firmed a similar retrospective study of sperm motility in 1063 ejaculates by Sievers [9], but
was at variance with the results of an earlier study of 1801 ejaculates by Mortimer et al. [ 5 ] ,
who was unable to demonstrate a significant relationship between sperm motility and absti-
nence periods between 1 and 7 days.
The relatively few studies on the effects of varying abstinence in the same subjects have
invariably focused on shorter abstinence periods, up to 5 days. Sauer et al. [8] found no effects
on sperm motility of varying the abstinence period from 12 h to 5 days in 10 subjects. A
similar conclusion was reached by Frank et al. [I] in a study of 83 individuals after 1-3 days
of abstinence. The results of the present study are generally in agreement with these findings
and suggest that the proportion of sperm displaying forward motility is relatively unaffected by
periods of up to 6 days in the epididymal stores.
202 0 . Magnus et al.
60 -
Oo0 r1
-
I

50 - 900
CI
8 -.. z
(D

40 -
Y 800
Y
w v
2
u)
v) 30-
w
n
ga: 20- -1
6
500
n
10 - ?+----+ 400

w
3 6 10
DAYS ABSTINENCE

FIGURE 2 Differential effects of the length of the abstinence period (3-10 days) on the propor-
tion of progressively motile sperm and the total number of sperm in the ejaculates of normospermic
(----, R = 7) and asthenozoospermic (-, II = 7) men. Vertical bars represent means f SE.

However, under the rigidly standardized conditions of the present study using objective
sperm motility analysis, a further 4 days of sexual abstinence was associated with a significant
reduction, approximately 20%, in the percentage of progressive sperm, especially in the nor-
mospermic individuals. Since this was not accompanied by an increase in the proportion of
dead sperm or sperm with abnormal morphology, it appears that this decline in progressive
motility reflects more subtle biochemical alterations in the sperm, such as depleted energy
stores.
Since our own and several other studies [3, 5, 8, 91 clearly demonstrate that the total
number of sperm in the ejaculate increases with sexual abstinence, an overall increase in the
total number of progressively motile sperm between 3 and 6 days could be recorded which was
maintained at 10 days, in spite of the decline in the percentage of progressive sperm. It may,
therefore, be advantageous for subjects to abstain from sexual activity for at least 6 days
before providing sperm for IVF or other forms of assisted fertilization. This was especially
true for the asthenozoospermic individuals where an abstinence period of 10 days was asso-
ciated with a relatively minor decline in the percent motile but an increase in the total quantity
of sperm in the ejaculate. Under these conditions, preparation of the sperm prior to fertiliza-
tion, e.g., by swim-up, would be expected to yield greater numbers of progressively motile
cells.
Generally, an abstinence period of greater than 3 days is recommended prior to routine
semen analysis. This is partly due to the belief that the caudal epididymal stores have a
relatively limited capacity [ 6 ] .An upper limit is rarely discussed. Although abstinence periods
of greater than 10 days were not tested in the present study, the significant reduction in the
proportion of progressively motile sperm indicates that longer periods may be inadvisable.
Indeed, prolonged sexual inactivity results in the increasing appearance of sperm in the urine
after 10-13 days [ 2 ] . Furthermore, in routine fertility investigation, a compromise must often
 Sperm Quality and Sexual Abstinence 203

be sought between an abstinence period providing an optimal sperm quality with the subject’s
own willingness to abstain from sexual activity for extended periods. More importantly, this
period should be rigidly standardized for each semen laboratory.

REFERENCES
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2. Johnson L (1982): A re-evaluation of daily sperm output of men. Fertil Steril 37:811-816.
3. Levin RM, Latimore J, Wein AJ, Van Arsdalen KN (1986): Correlation of sperm count with frequency of ejacula-
tion. Fertil Steril 45:732-734.
4 . MacLeod J, Gold RZ (1965): The male factor in fertility and infertility. VIII. A study of variation in semen quality.
Fertil Steril 7:387-410.
5 . Mortimer D, Templeton AA, Lenton EA, Coleman RA (1982): Influence of abstinence and ejaculation-to-analysis
delay on semen analysis parameters of suspect infertile men. Arch Androl 8:251-256.
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7. Purvis K, Tollefsrud A, Rui H (1989): Correlates of human sperm motility assessed by laser Doppler spectroscopy.
Int J Androl 12:lO-16
8. Sauer MV, Zeffer KB, Buster JE, Sokol RZ (1988): Effects of abstinence on sperm motility in normal men. Am J
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