Semen quality in Greenland

Gunnar Toft, Henning Sloth Pedersen, Jens Peter Bonde, Inuendo Research team
2004 International Journal of Circumpolar Health  
Objectives. To quantify semen quality in the Greenlandic population. Study design. A cross-sectional study including recently proven fertile men from four regions including nine municipalities and one settlement in Greenland. Methods. The samples were analysed for sperm cell concentrations and motility using standard methods. Results. In total 201 semen samples were collected. The median sperm cell concentration of fertile men in Greenland was 53 x10 6 sperm cells/ml, with a median sperm cell
more » ... lume of 3.2 ml, a total sperm count of 185.6 x10 6 sperm cells and a median motility of 60 %. Regionally there were no statistical significant difference in sperm counts, but the sperm cell motility differed among regions, with the lowest sperm cell motility found in semen samples collected on the east coast. Overall sperm cell concentration and total sperm count in Greenland seems to be in the lower range compared to studies from Europe, USA and Japan. Conclusion. Within Greenland the sperm cell concentration appears to be similar in different regions, but sperm cell motility tends to be lower in men from the east coast. This may be related to the higher organochlorine exposure level previously demonstrated in this population.
doi:10.3402/ijch.v63i0.17894 pmid:15736646 fatcat:mqiydhvwnnbhxi6nvt4xk2rlga