title: [Recurrent miscarriage and the quality of semen and sperm: a case-control study].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the relation between recurrent miscarriage and routine semen parameters.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared the semen parameters of normal healthy men with those of the spouses of recurrent miscarriage women through 1: 1 age-matched case-control study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the healthy controls, the men of the case group showed a significantly lower mean semen volume ([1.95 +/- 1.11] ml vs [2.74 +/- 1.43] ml), sperm concentration ([48.68 +/- 20.07] x 10(6)/ml vs [59.26 +/- 25.35] x 10(6)/ml), percentage of grade b sperm ([12.07 +/- 3.34] % vs [16.18 +/- 6.74] %), fruit-sugar content ([1.73 +/- 0.64] g/L vs [2.21 +/- 0.75] g/L), acrosomal enzyme activity ([84.34 +/- 26.69] U/mg prot vs [94.20 +/- 26.35] U/mg prot), alpha-glucuronidase (alpha-GLU) content ([36.28 +/- 15.98] U/ml vs [44.45 +/- 12. 54] U/ml), and acid phosphatase (ACP) content ([68.55 +/- 35.45] U/ml vs [84.78 +/- 51. 10] U/ml) (P < 0.05), but remarkably higher percentages of head teratospermia ([47.36 +/- 4.59] % vs [46.50 +/- 6.32] %) and tail teratospermia ([7.56 +/- 2.27] % vs [7.28 +/- 3.10] %), and elastase content ([885.64 +/- 1 272.30] ng/ml vs [661.08 +/- 764.64] ng/ml) (P < 0.05). Based on the results of discriminant analysis, the semen volume, percentages of grade b sperm and combined teratospermia, and contents of fruit-sugar, alpha-GLU and ACP could be used to evaluate the semen and sperm quality of the spouses of recurrent miscarriage women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Routine semen and sperm tests might help evaluate the seminal factors of recurrent miscarriage, but they lack specificity and need comprehensive analysis. Poorer semen quality is associated with higher incidence of recurrent miscarriage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Reproductive Health, Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510010, China. pumpli587@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qing-Kui
authors.initials: QK
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Zhao-Ping
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Hui-Sheng
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Yi-chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Zong-Hui
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Ming-Wo
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Pan
mesh_terms: D000026:Abortion, Habitual / Q000209:etiology*; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012661:Semen; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa