Semen and hormone values according to past glycol ether exposure status
| Non-exposed n = 50 | Exposed n = 48 | Mean difference (CI 95%) | Adjusted p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | Mean | |||
| FSH, follicle stimulating hormone; LH, luteinising hormone. | ||||
| *Calculated using analysis of variance/covariance to adjust for age, sexual abstinence, and season of semen analysis. | ||||
| †Calculated using analysis of variance/covariance to adjust for age and body mass index. | ||||
| Semen characteristics | ||||
| Seminal volume (ml) | 3.7 | 4.1 | –0.3 (–1.0 to 0.4) | 0.52* |
| Seminal pH (units) | 7.8 | 7.8 | 0.03 (–0.14 to 0.19) | 0.19* |
| Sperm concentration (millions/ml) | 119.1 | 74.0 | 45.0 (21.0 to 69.1) | <0.001* |
| Total sperm count (millions) | 416.3 | 277.4 | 138.8 (37.7 to 240.0) | <0.001* |
| “a” rapid progressive motility (%) | 18.4 | 12.8 | 5.5 (2.4 to 8.6) | <0.001* |
| “a” + “b” total progressive sperm motility (%) | 39.6 | 36.3 | 3.3 (–1.0 to 7.6) | 0.61* |
| Normal sperm morphology (%) | 54.2 | 47.1 | 7.1 (0.8 to 13.4) | 0.005* |
| Multiple Anomaly Index (units) | 1.7 | 1.8 | –0.08 (–0.16 to 0.01) | 0.08* |
| Sperm viability (%) | 72.4 | 71.3 | 1.2 (–3.8 to 6.1) | 0.65* |
| Serum hormones | ||||
| Testosterone (ng/ml) | 6.2 | 6.3 | 0.1 (–1.35 to 1.16) | 0.97† |
| FSH (IU/l) | 3.9 | 5.5 | –1.6 (–3.3 to 0.01) | 0.05† |
| LH (IU/l) | 3.5 | 3.5 | –0.01 (–0.74 to 0.73) | 0.86† |
| Inhibin B (pg/ml) | 219.0 | 215.0 | –3.8 (–27.2 to 34.0) | 0.71† |