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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Fertil Steril. 2010 Dec 3;95(3):1025–1030. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2010.11.006

Table 2.

ORs for clinically-based cut points for semen parameters (WHO criteria) by weekly MET-hours and average intensity of exercise

Total
Na 		Low sperm concentration
(<20×106/ml)		 Low volume
(<2 ml)		 Low motility
(<50%)		 Low total motile
concentration
(<23×106)		 Abnormal
morphology
(<30% Standard/
<4% Kruger)
Number of samples 4,565 4,523 4,558 4,501 4,489 2,006
No regular exercise 1,951 1.00 (Ref.)b 1.00 (Ref.)b 1.00 (Ref.)b 1.00 (Ref.)b 1.00 (Ref.)b
Regular exercise
    Any 2,614 1.22 (0.97–1.54) 0.97 (0.80–1.17) 1.00 (0.84–1.19) 0.93 (0.75–1.15) 1.10 (0.82–1.48)
    MET-hours per week
      <20 984 1.27 (0.95–1.70) 0.92 (0.73–1.17) 1.04 (0.83–1.30) 0.89 (0.68–1.17) 1.17 (0.81–1.68)
      20–39 1,030 1.26 (0.95–1.68) 0.88 (0.69–1.14) 0.90 (0.72–1.13) 0.90 (0.68–1.18) 1.02 (0.70–1.49)
      ≥40 600 1.07 (0.76–1.51) 1.19 (0.89–1.59) 1.10 (0.86–1.41) 1.05 (0.77–1.44) 1.15 (0.75–1.77)
      P-trendc 0.30 0.63 0.95 0.89 0.64
    Average intensity (METs)
      Low (<4) 402 1.32 (0.88–1.97) 1.03 (0.74–1.45) 1.16 (0.86–1.58) 0.94 (0.64–1.38) 1.46 (0.94–2.26)
      Moderate (4–6) 599 1.27 (0.92–1.77) 0.85 (0.63–1.16) 1.07 (0.82–1.40) 0.85 (0.62–1.17) 1.57 (0.96–2.57)
      Vigorous (≥7) 1,613 1.17 (0.90–1.52) 1.00 (0.81–1.24) 0.92 (0.76–1.12) 0.96 (0.75–1.22) 0.91 (0.65–1.27)
      P-trendc 0.18 0.81 0.37 0.48 0.67

Values are odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) adjusted for age, body mass index, study wave, study site, multivitamin use, history of urogenital anomaly, history of STI or prostate infection, male factor infertility, alcohol, caffeine, smoking, wearing of boxers or briefs, hypertension, education, and race/ethnicity. Each column is restricted to number of samples shown.

a

Maximum N of samples in exercise category; number may be lower depending on data available for given semen characteristic.

b

Reference group for within-column comparison.

c

Tests for trend conducted by modeling the ordinal categorical version of each exercise variable and calculating p-value from the Wald test statistic, with men reporting no exercise comprising the lowest exposure category.