title: Influence of ejaculation frequency on seminal parameters.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Several factors have been shown to influence semen parameters, one of which is sexual abstinence; a clinical criteria included in the semen evaluation to provide maximum sperm quality. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of a daily ejaculation frequency on conventional and functional semen parameters.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semen samples were collected daily over a period of two weeks of which every second sample per person was processed and analyzed according to the World Health Organization guidelines. Furthermore, mitochondrial function, intracellular reactive oxygen species production and sperm DNA fragmentation were evaluated by flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total sperm count and seminal volume per ejaculation declined and remained decreased for the duration of the daily ejaculation period. However, conventional parameters such as sperm concentration, motility, progressive motility, morphology, vitality and functional parameters such as sperm plasma membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential and DNA fragmentation was not significantly affected and remained similar to the initial measurement throughout the daily ejaculation period. Despite intra- and inter individual variations, the average values of the basic semen parameters remained above the WHO (2010) reference values throughout the daily ejaculation period. Interestingly, a decreasing trend in intracellular ROS production was observed, although statistically not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study shows that an extended 2 week period of daily ejaculation does not have major clinical effects on conventional and functional seminal parameters.
authors.affiliation: Grupo Reproducción, Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina, Sede de Investigación Universitaria, Universidad de Antioquia, Calle 70 No. 52-21, Medellín, Colombia. jose.mayorgat@gmail.com.|Grupo Genética, Regeneración y Cáncer, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia. jose.mayorgat@gmail.com.
authors.forename: B Jose Manuel
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Mayorga-Torres
authors.affiliation: Grupo Genética, Regeneración y Cáncer, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia. mcamargo111@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Camargo
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA. agarwaa@ccf.org.
authors.forename: Ashok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA. ssdp@sun.ac.za.|Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, South Africa. ssdp@sun.ac.za.
authors.forename: Stefan S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: du Plessis
authors.affiliation: Grupo Reproducción, Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina, Sede de Investigación Universitaria, Universidad de Antioquia, Calle 70 No. 52-21, Medellín, Colombia. angelap.cadavid@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ángela P
authors.initials: ÁP
authors.lastname: Cadavid
authors.affiliation: Grupo Reproducción, Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina, Sede de Investigación Universitaria, Universidad de Antioquia, Calle 70 No. 52-21, Medellín, Colombia. wdario.cardona@udea.edu.co.
authors.forename: Walter D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Cardona Maya
mesh_terms: D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D004542:Ejaculation; D005298:Fertility; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D012016:Reference Values; D055101:Semen Analysis; D012746:Sexual Abstinence; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013997:Time Factors; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species