title: Imprisonment-associated sperm clumping and male infertility.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This observational, retrospective study investigated infertility among Iraqi men who had been long-term prisoners of war.
  
  
  METHODS
  Routine seminal fluid analyses were undertaken in former prisoners with suspected infertility attending the Ramadi Infertility Clinic, Ramadi,  Iraq; semen samples were also microscopically evaluated in these patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 16 out of 38 patients (42%), male infertility was found to be associated with the formation of unusually large clumps of sperm. These sperm clumps contained large numbers of sperm; clumping led to sperm  immobilization and infertility.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The causes of sperm clumping are unclear. It is possible that the sperm clumping observed in the present study might be a result of developmental defects, possibly related to stress or other undiscovered factors, although this requires further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Infertility Clinic, Maternity and Children's Hospital, Ramadi, Iraq. fajoudi@yahoo.com
authors.forename: F S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Al-Joudi
authors.forename: J A K
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Jamil
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002449:Cell Aggregation; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000473:pathology*; D007493:Iraq; D008297:Male; D011329:Prisoners; D012661:Semen; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000473:pathology*