Table 1.
Characteristics of semen samples from infertile males with varying degrees of abnormal sperm morphology
| Parameter | Group A (n=20) | Group B (n=65) | Group C (n=56) | Group D (n=36) | Group E (n=28) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (year) | 36.0±3.9 | 33.0±3.7 | 32.0±3.1 | 32.0±2.6 | 32.0±2.7 |
| Abnormal sperm morphology (%) | 100.0±0 | 97.9±0.8 | 95.3±0.7 | 92.2±0.7 | 89.2±0.9 |
| Sperm concentration (×106 ml−1) | 6.6±4.3** | 21.3±15.4** | 46.4±26.0** | 60.7±26.0** | 89.1±8.4 |
| Sperm motility (%) | 16.4±8.6** | 38.2±10.2** | 57.8±7.7** | 64.6±5.9 | 67.6±4.9 |
| Sperm single-strand DNA breaks (%) | 20.9±8.9** | 13.5±3.4** | 10.9±1.4** | 8.6±1.0 | 6.4±1.2 |
| CDs (%) | 39.3±5.1** | 34.7±2.8** | 26.6±2.3** | 19.2±2.4** | 15.4±2.9 |
| ERC (%) | 35.1±2.0** | 32.7±4.2** | 30.4±4.3** | 29.3±4.6 | 27.3±3.4 |
**P<0.01 (the indicated value vs that of Group E). Data are presented as mean±standard deviation. Group A: abnormal spermatozoa=100%; Group B: abnormal spermatozoa >96% and ≤99%; Group C: abnormal spermatozoa >93% and ≤96%; Group D: abnormal spermatozoa ≤93%; Group E: control group. CDs: cytoplasmic droplets; ERC: excess residual cytoplasm