Daily sex `helps improve sperm quality`

Having sex every day improves men`s sperm quality, an Australian study has revealed.

In a study of men with fertility problems, researchers found that daily ejaculation for a week cut the amount of DNA damage seen in sperm samples.

"All that we knew was that intercourse on the day of ovulation offered the highest chance of pregnancy, but we did not know what was the best advice for the period leading up to ovulation or egg retrieval for IVF," Dr David Greening, an obstetrician and gynaecologist with sub specialist training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Sydney IVF, Wollongong, Australia, said.

"I thought that frequent ejaculation might be a physiological mechanism to improve sperm DNA damage, while maintaining semen levels within the normal, fertile range," he added.

To investigate this hypothesis, Greening studied 118 men who had higher than normal sperm DNA damage as indicated by a DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI).

Men who had a more than 15 percent of their sperm damaged were eligible for the trial. At Sydney IVF, sperm DNA damage is defined as less than 15 percent DFI for excellent quality sperm, 15-24 percent DFI for good, 25-29 percent DFI for fair and more than 29 percent DFI for poor quality; but other laboratories can have slightly different ranges.

The men were instructed to ejaculate daily for seven days, and no other treatment or lifestyle changes were suggested. Before they started, levels of DNA damage ranged between 15 percent and 98 percent DFI, with an average 34 percent DFI when measured after three days` abstinence.

When the men`s sperm was re-assessed on the seventh day, Greening found that 81 percent men had an average 12 percent decrease in their sperm DNA damage, while 19 percent men and an average increase in damage of nearly 10 percent. The average for the whole group dropped to 26 percent DFI.

"Although the mean average was 26 percent which is in the `fair` range for sperm quality, this included 18 percent of men whose sperm DNA damage increased as well as those whose DNA damage decreased," Greening said.

"Amongst the men whose damage decreased, their average dropped by 12 percent to just under 23 percent DFI, which puts them in the `good` range. Also, more men moved into the `good` range and out of the `poor` or `fair` range. These changes were substantial and statistically highly significant.

"In addition, we found that although frequent ejaculation decreased semen volume and sperm concentrations, it did not compromise sperm motility and, in fact, this rose slightly but significantly.

"Further research is required to see whether the improvement in these men`s sperm quality translates into better pregnancy rates, but other, previous studies have shown the relationship between sperm DNA damage and pregnancy rates," he added.

Greening said he thought the reason why sperm quality improved with frequent ejaculation was because the sperm had a shorter exposure in the testicular ducts and epididymis to reactive oxygen species - very small molecules, high levels of which can damage cells.

"The remainder of the men who had an increase in DFI might have a different explanation for their sperm DNA damage," he said.

The study has been presented at the 25th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Amsterdam.

Sperm may play a lead role in HIV spread

A new study has shown that HIV can be transmitted by sperm and not just semen. It is well known that during sexual intercourse, HIV-infected men transmit HIV through their semen, which carries free-floating virus as well as HIV-infected leukocytes.

However, lead researcher Ana Ceballos at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina claims that sperm can also transmit HIV to macrophages, T cells, and dendritic cells (DCs).

Ceballos et al. showed that HIV attaches to the surface of sperm and that these HIV carriers pass on the virus to DCs and other HIV targets.

Sperm express molecules known to interact with HIV's envelope, such as heparan sulfate and mannose receptors.

The authors show that HIV relies on heparan sulfate to attach to sperm, but not mannose receptors as previously predicted.

Once attached, the virus was transmitted from sperm to DCs in culture. The DC receptors CD4 and DC-SIGN were required for transmission, suggesting that DCs pick up the virus by binding to sperm rather than by ingesting them.

DCs matured after interacting with the sperm, producing tolerance-promoting cytokines like interleukin-10. The authors speculate that this immune-suppressing profile, versus an inflammatory profile, might also help the virus spread.

The authors suggest that sperm might reach DCs by passing through microabrasions in the vaginal or anal lining that often form during intercourse.

The study appears in Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Daily sex helps improve sperm Quality

Having sex every day improves men''s sperm quality, an Australian study has revealed.

In a study of men with fertility problems, researchers found that daily ejaculation for a week cut the amount of DNA damage seen in sperm samples.

"All that we knew was that intercourse on the day of ovulation offered the highest chance of pregnancy, but we did not know what was the best advice for the period leading up to ovulation or egg retrieval for IVF," Dr David Greening, an obstetrician and gynaecologist with sub specialist training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Sydney IVF, Wollongong, Australia, said.

"I thought that frequent ejaculation might be a physiological mechanism to improve sperm DNA damage, while maintaining semen levels within the normal, fertile range," he added.

To investigate this hypothesis, Greening studied 118 men who had higher than normal sperm DNA damage as indicated by a DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI).

Men who had a more than 15 percent of their sperm damaged were eligible for the trial. At Sydney IVF, sperm DNA damage is defined as less than 15 percent DFI for excellent quality sperm, 15-24 percent DFI for good, 25-29 percent DFI for fair and more than 29 percent DFI for poor quality; but other laboratories can have slightly different ranges.

The men were instructed to ejaculate daily for seven days, and no other treatment or lifestyle changes were suggested. Before they started, levels of DNA damage ranged between 15 percent and 98 percent DFI, with an average 34 percent DFI when measured after three days'' abstinence.

When the men''s sperm was re-assessed on the seventh day, Greening found that 81 percent men had an average 12 percent decrease in their sperm DNA damage, while 19 percent men and an average increase in damage of nearly 10 percent. The average for the whole group dropped to 26 percent DFI.

"Although the mean average was 26 percent which is in the ''fair'' range for sperm quality, this included 18 percent of men whose sperm DNA damage increased as well as those whose DNA damage decreased," Greening said.

"Amongst the men whose damage decreased, their average dropped by 12 percent to just under 23 percent DFI, which puts them in the ''good'' range. Also, more men moved into the ''good'' range and out of the ''poor'' or ''fair'' range. These changes were substantial and statistically highly significant.

"In addition, we found that although frequent ejaculation decreased semen volume and sperm concentrations, it did not compromise sperm motility and, in fact, this rose slightly but significantly.

"Further research is required to see whether the improvement in these men''s sperm quality translates into better pregnancy rates, but other, previous studies have shown the relationship between sperm DNA damage and pregnancy rates," he added.

Greening said he thought the reason why sperm quality improved with frequent ejaculation was because the sperm had a shorter exposure in the testicular ducts and epididymis to reactive oxygen species - very small molecules, high levels of which can damage cells.

"The remainder of the men who had an increase in DFI might have a different explanation for their sperm DNA damage," he said.

The study has been presented at the 25th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Amsterdam.

World's first giant Panda born from frozen sperm: Report

The first giant panda conceived through artificial insemination with frozen sperm was born in China's Sichuan province, a breakthrough for breeding the endangered species, researchers said on Friday.

Eleven-year-old You You gave birth yesterday to a baby giant panda that appeared healthy at the Ya'an base, said Huang Yan, a researcher with the 'China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center' of the Wolong nature reserve.

The researcher claimed that it was the first artificial fertilization using frozen panda sperm at southwest Sichuan province. "It can avoid inbreeding of giant pandas and increase the diversity of the species," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency. It is You You's third baby, and the 10th panda cub born at Wolong this year.

Artificial insemination is commonly used for breeding pandas, which have a very low sex drive. Huang said with the technology, "we can keep the sperm frozen for decades". "The freezing and thawing causes no harm or change to the genetic structure of the sperm, so the technology has no influence on the baby," he underlined.

The pandas were moved from Wolong to the Bifengxia breeding base in Ya'an City after the earthquake in May 12 last year. A total of 88 pandas are living in Ya'an while another 56 are outside Sichuan Province. A new breeding center is being built to replace the former quake-damaged habitat.

In 2006, 34 pandas were born through artificial insemination in China and 30 survived - both record numbers for the endangered species. However, using panda sperm that has been frozen earlier - instead of from an immediate donor - had not been successful before.

Daily sex 'best for good Sperm'

Daily ejaculation may be the best way to improve sperm quality. Having sex every day improves sperm quality and could boost the chances of getting pregnant, research suggests.

In a study of men with fertility problems, daily ejaculation for a week cut the amount of DNA damage seen in sperm samples.

Speaking at a fertility conference, the Australian researcher said general advice for couples had been to have sex every two or three days.

Early results from the trial had already shown promising results. But 118 men have now been tested and the benefits for sperm have become clearer. Dr David Greening, from Sydney IVF, told delegates at the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting that eight in ten men taking part showed a 12% drop in sperm DNA damage after the seven days.

Although there was a big drop in sperm numbers from 180 million to 70 million over the week, men were still within the normal "fertile" range. Sperm also became more active over the seven days with a small rise in motility, he added.


The theory is the longer sperm hang around in the testes the more likely they are to accumulate DNA damage and the warm environment could also make them more sluggish after a while.

Resource crisis blamed for sperm Loss

Lack of space and resources is being blamed for the accidental destruction by a Bristol fertility clinic of sperm samples belonging to cancer patients.

Samples belonging to 28 cancer patients at Southmead Hospital are believed to have thawed out because of a fault in a storage freezer.

The men are undergoing treatment which is likely to make them infertile.

The Human Embryology and Fertilisation Authority says the hospital should have made sure samples were split and stored in two separate freezers.

Freezer costs

But the North Bristol NHS Trust which runs the hospital claims there were not enough resources to do this.

A spokesperson for the Human Embryology and Fertilisation Authority told BBC News Online: "It is good medical practice and a recommendation to split sperm samples in storage.

"Hospitals usually abide by the Association of Clinical Embryologists' (ACE) recommendations to do this."

ACE said the cost of a freezer in this kind of case ranges from £1,000 to £13,000, not including maintenance costs.

Southmead and Frenchay hospitals - run by the North Bristol Trust - have debts of £44.3m after overspending in the last year.

An internal inquiry has been promised into the loss of the sperm.

Cancer sperm men win court Battle

Six male cancer patients have been told they can claim damages after a hospital freezer broke down and destroyed their frozen sperm.

Five said they had suffered psychiatric problems as a result of the incident at Southmead Hospital in Bristol.

The Court of Appeal ruled the samples, given after the patients were warned chemotherapy could make them infertile, belonged to the men.

The judges ruled the six men could therefore claim damages for the loss.

Mental distress

The men who did not wish to be named, had assumed their prospects of fathering children had been destroyed.

Some were not left infertile by the treatment but one has since died.

The hospital trust had denied liability, claiming the sperm samples were not property in the legal sense and there could be no damages claim.

But in his ruling, Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, said: "The men had ownership of the sperm.

"The sole object of their ejaculation of the sperm was that, in certain events, it might later be used."

Lord Judge, Master of the Rolls Sir Anthony Clarke and Lord Justice Wilson overturned a County Court judge's ruling which found the men had no claim against North Bristol NHS Trust.

The three appeal judges ruled the men could now claim for psychiatric injury or mental distress. This hearing will now be heard at Exeter County Court.

In his ruling, Lord Judge said: "The (hospital) unit extended, and broke, a particular promise to the men, namely that the sperm 'will be stored... at minus 196°C'.

"The appeals raise interesting questions about the application of common law principles to the ever-expanding frontiers of medical science."