title: Prevalence of low sperm count and abnormal semen parameters in male partners of women consulting at infertility clinic in Abakaliki, Nigeria.
abstract: In order to provide an insight to the prevalence of low sperm count and abnormal semen parameters in suspected subfertile/infertile men in our environment, semen samples collected from one hundred and seventy (170) men aged 21-50 years, whose wives were seen at a private fertility clinic in Abakaliki, Nigeria with diagnosis of primary and secondary infertility (78 and 92 respectively) were analysed in accordance with World Health Organization guidelines. Significantly high proportion (70%) of the study population had low sperm count (p < 0.05) with significantly high defective parameters (64%). Asthenozoospermia and teratozoospermia were the major abnormal parameters recorded. Higher prevalence of oligospermia was found in the civil servants and age-group 31-40 years (74% and 75% respectively). Using 10(5) cfu/ml as a significant level of bacteria growth, the prevalence of bacteria growth was found to be 56% of which 18% were from normospermic semen d 38% from oligospermic semen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Clinical Medicine, Ebonyi State University, P.M.B. 053, Abakaliki, Nigeria. Ugwuja@yahoo.com
authors.forename: E I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Ugwuja
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Ugwu
authors.forename: B N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Ejikeme
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D053627:Asthenozoospermia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D053713:Azoospermia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008418:Masturbation; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012661:Semen / Q000382:microbiology; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility; D018454:Spouses; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult