Agarwal, A., Malvezzi, H., & Sharma, R. (2013). Effect of an isotonic lubricant on sperm collection and sperm quality. Fertility and Sterility, 99(6), 1581-1586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2013.01.116
Agarwal A, Malvezzi H, Sharma R. Effect of an isotonic lubricant on sperm collection and sperm quality. Fertil Steril. 2013;99(6):1581-1586. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2013.01.116
Agarwal, Ashok, et al. "Effect of an isotonic lubricant on sperm collection and sperm quality." Fertility and Sterility, vol. 99, no. 6, 2013, pp. 1581-1586.
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Isotonic Lubricant Did Not Harm Sperm Quality in Healthy Men
In a cross-over study, 22 healthy men each gave one sperm sample with an isotonic lubricant (Pre-Seed) and one sample without it. About 7 out of 10 men preferred using the lubricant during collection. Sperm motility, viability, membrane health, antioxidant levels, and DNA damage were not affected by the lubricant.
Key Findings
16 of 22 donors (73%) preferred using the lubricant during collection, and 12 of 22 (55%) recommended using it for everyday collection.
81% of donors (17 of 21) rated collection with the lubricant as somewhat or very easy, compared with 68% (13 of 21) without it.
With lubricant vs. without, sperm motility (58.6% vs. 57.3%), viability (53.3% vs. 58.1%), and membrane integrity (67.4% vs. 67.1%) did not differ significantly (P > .05 for each).
Measures of oxidative stress, total antioxidant capacity, and sperm DNA damage also showed no significant difference between samples collected with and without the lubricant.
Interpretation
This was a paired, randomized cross-over study. Each of 22 healthy men with normal semen parameters by World Health Organization 2010 criteria gave one sample with the lubricant and one without, two weeks apart, so each man served as his own control. The authors note they did not enroll men who had previously reported difficulty collecting a sample. Patients often ask to use a lubricant during collection, and before this study physicians had no outcome data to draw on when advising them. The authors conclude that the lubricant appears safe for use as needed during semen collection in fertility patients, since most men preferred it and more of them rated collection as easy, while sperm quality was unchanged.
RRM Context
Semen testing is a basic part of the fertility workup, including the male-factor check used in restorative reproductive medicine. Stress during collection can affect the sample and a man's ability to finish the test. This study suggests a lubricant that does not harm sperm can help with that testing. Male factors play a large role in many couples' infertility. Restorative care checks both partners together.
Our editorial summary of this paper, not the article's abstract.
Abstract
Objective
To assess the influence of an isotonic lubricant used during sperm sample collection on [1] ease of collection and [2] resultant sperm quality.
Design
Paired randomized cross-over design.
Setting
Tertiary hospital.
DONOR(S): Healthy men over 18 years old with normal semen analysis as per World Health Organization 2010 guidelines.
Interventions
Collection of semen sample from 22 subjects by masturbation with or without the use of Pre-Seed personal lubricant.
Main Outcome Measures
Qualitative survey results and quantitative sperm function outcomes were measured to determine resultant sperm quality and collection experience with and without Pre-Seed lubricant.
Results
The qualitative questionnaire results showed that 73% of donors prefer the semen collection process with the isotonic lubricant and 55% recommended the use of lubricant in their everyday collection. The motility, viability, membrane integrity, levels of reactive oxygen species, total antioxidant capacity, and percentage of DNA damage in collected semen samples were not affected by the use of the lubricant.
Conclusions
More donors prefer, and find it easier, to collect semen samples with the use of the lubricant. The isotonic lubricant Pre-Seed did not compromise sperm quality as evaluated in an array of sperm assays, suggesting its safe use in fertility patients as required during sperm collection.
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