Is Ejaculation Frequency in Men Related to General and Mental Health? Looking Back and Looking Forward

Despite its relevance for human sexuality, literature on potential effects of ejaculation frequency and masturbation on general and mental health outcomes is sparse. Reasons for this knowledge gap include a general lack of interest, but also methodological challenges and still existing superstition. This paper reconciles literature from various fields to extract relevant information on how ejaculation frequency effects general and mental health outcomes. Culture-bound syndromes have been reported in countries still strictly tabooing or condemning masturbation. Masturbatory guilt describes a phenomenon in individuals experiencing a discrepancy between moral standards and own behavior with respect to masturbation. Abstinence is one aspect under study in the area of fertility treatment. Specific time frames and their respective implications on quality of sperm remain inconclusive. Limited temporal resolution capacities hamper the precise study of brain structures directly activated during ejaculation. The relation between ejaculation frequency and hormonal influences remains poorly understood. Future research that specifically addresses ejaculation frequency and potential mental and general health outcomes is needed. In contrast to extracting knowledge as a byproduct from other studies with a different focus, this enables sound study designs and could provide evidence-based results which could then be further discussed and interpreted.

P–092 The more, the merrier: does ejaculatory frequency influence seminal parameters in oligospermic men?

Study question Does ejaculatory frequency during the three months preceding semen collection influence semen parameters in oligospermic men? Summary answer A frequency of 2–3 ejaculations/week during the three months preceding semen collection significantly optimizes sperm motility, without any reduction in sperm concentration. What is known already Male gametes undergo crucial physiological and biochemical changes during epididymal transit, but a longer storage is known to have negative effects on semen quality, especially on motility. Previous studies focused on abstinence prior to semen collection, while few data are available on the effect of ejaculation frequency. On one hand, a longer storage could increase exposure to reactive oxygen species and a pro-inflammatory environment, with a reduction in vitality and motility. On the other, an increased ejaculation frequency could cause a reduction in sperm volume and concentration. The effects of ejaculatory frequency are particularly understudied in men with oligospermia. Study design, size, duration This is a retrospective study performed at a tertiary level public infertility center. We included all semen samples, collected both for diagnostic purposes and ART cycles between September 2019 and September 2020, with a sperm concentration of 15 million/ml or less, and an abstinence of 3- 5 days. Exclusion criteria were surgically collected or collected for fertility preservation semen samples. Participants/materials, setting, methods Standard demographic and clinical data were recorded, as well as semen parameters. Ejaculation frequency was considered “optimal” (at least 2–3/week) or “reduced” (<1/week). The potential predictive role of ejaculation frequency, age, BMI, smoking habits, previous cryptorchidism, varicocele, days of abstinence on semen parameters was evaluated by univariate and then by multivariate analysis for all factors significant in the univariate models. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Main results and the role of chance: Out of 738 men, 491 reported an optimal ejaculation frequency, 247 had <1 ejaculation/week, no one reported everyday ejaculations. Total sperm mobility (35.91±22.84% vs. 32.28±16.91%, p = 0.02) and sperm rapid progressive motility (5.56±6.09% vs. 4.20±6.1%, p = 0.006) were significantly higher in the group with optimal ejaculation frequency. Ejaculation frequency remained predictive of total mobility (p = 0.04) and rapid progressive mobility (p = 0.03) in a multivariate linear regression model with age and sperm concentration. Sperm volume (2.92±1.56 ml vs. 2.91±1.54 ml, p=NS) and concentration (5.74±5.05 mil/ml vs. 6.05±4.78 mil/ml, p=NS) did not significantly differ depending on the declared ejaculation frequency. Limitations, reasons for caution The study is retrospective and ejaculatory frequency was self-reported as an estimate of the mean of the number of ejaculations per week. Wider implications of the findings: Optimizing ejaculatory frequency may improve ART outcomes as well as success of spontaneous conceptions. There is no reason to limit ejaculatory frequency in oligospermic men for a hypothesized benefic in sperm concentration. Trial registration number Not applicable

The Male Is Significantly Implicated as the Cause of Unexplained Infertility

Male infertility is recognized as a relatively common, complex condition, generated by a broad array of environmental and genetic factors. Historical reliance on the conventional semen profile has tended to underestimate the true contribution of “the male factor” to human infertility. This review highlights the importance of genetic and epigenetic factors in the etiology of male infertility, identifying a range of mutations responsible for primary testicular failure and impaired fertilizing potential. More than three quarters of all de novo mutations arise in the male germline via mechanisms that involve the inefficient or defective repair of DNA damage. Understanding the range of factors capable of creating genetic turmoil in the paternal germline is essential, if we are to gain a deep understanding of the causes of male infertility, rather than just the symptoms that characterize its presence. High levels of DNA fragmentation induced by oxidative stress are part of this equation. Oxidative stress is, in turn, driven by biological (age, ejaculation frequency, varicocele, infection), lifestyle (smoking, obesity), and environmental factors (heat, other forms of electromagnetic radiation, and toxins) that can impair the fertilizing potential of the spermatozoa and influence the incidence of spontaneous mutations that may cause infertility in the offspring.

Dependence of physical characteristics of ejaculate of Polish Landrace boars on the time interval between successive ejaculate collections

The aim of the research was to determine the dependence of physical properties of boar ejaculates on the time interval between successive ejaculate collections. The material for the study comprised 1954 ejaculates collected manually from boars used for artificial insemination. For all ejaculates, the ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, percentage of motile spermatozoa, and number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate were determined, and the number of insemination doses per ejaculate was calculated. The boars’ suitability for artificial insemination was evaluated taking into account the effect of the time passed between ejaculate collections. The ejaculate volume and the concentration and number of sperm in the ejaculate were shown to increase with the time elapsed since the previous ejaculate. The number of insemination doses obtained per ejaculate increased as well. Ejaculates with a high sperm count were obtained when the ejaculation frequency was no more than every 4 days. The percentage of spermatozoa with progressive motility increased with the time elapsed since the collection of the previous ejaculate, but only up to 4 days. Further decreases in ejaculation frequency no longer resulted in increased sperm motility.

REPEATABILITY ESTIMATION OF SEMEN PRODUCTION AND QUALITY OF LOCALS MADURA CATTLE BREED (Bos indicus)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of genetic and environmental factor on locals Madura cattle semen production and quality. A total of 2275 semen collections records from 11 bulls from 2012 to 2014 were analyzed to evaluate the genetic potency of semen productions. Genetic evaluation consists of repeatability estimation of semen volume, sperm concentration and sperm individual motility. Data were analyzed by HGLM (REML) with environmental factors of age, seasons, interval of semen collections, and frequency of ejaculations as fixed effect and bulls as random effect using GENSTAT 16th edition. Result showed that age and ejaculation frequency affect to all variables; interval of semen collections affected to both semen volume and sperm concentrations; while seasons only affected to sperm concentrations. Repeatability estimation of semen volume, sperm concentration and sperm individual motility were 0.376, 0.445 and 0.567 respectively. It was concluded that the quality of Madura bulls ejaculate less affected by environmental factors.

KARAKTERISTIK SEMEN SEGAR SAPI BANGSA LIMOUSIN DAN SIMMENTAL DI BALAI INSEMINASI BUATAN LEMBANG

FRESH SEMEN CHARACTERISTICS OF LIMOUSIN AND SIMMENTAL BULLS AT THE ARTIFISIAL INSEMINATION CENTER, LEMBANG. This study was conducted to evaluate the characteristics of fresh semen in Limousin and Simmental bulls at the artificial insemination center in Lembang. Results of this study showed that ejaculation frequency of Simmental bull was significantly higher than that of Limousin with the average of 5.37 and 4.60, respectively. Variables of volume, pH and motility were not significantly different between both bulls with volume ranging of 7.17 – 7.20 ml, pH ranging of 6.65 – 6.66 and motility ranging of 58.08 – 59.29%, respectively. The fresh semen colour of Limousin and Simmental bulls were indicated by dominant color of milk white color. Semen consistency of fresh semen from both bulls was moderate. The ejaculation frequency and pH variables indicated the correlation of -0.32 in Limousine bulls, meaning that the higher the ejaculation frequency, the lower the pH (acid), but the ejaculation frequency and motility of semen had the correlation of 0,34, indicating the more the semen ejaculation frequency, the higher the motility of spermatozoa. The motility of semen had the negative correlation with pH (-0.49). The higher the pH (base), the motility of spermatozoa tended to decline. Simmental bull showed also that semen ejaculation frequency with volume had correlation of -0.40, indicating that the higher the semen ejaculation frequency yakni, the lower the semen volume. Semen ejaculation frequency had correlation of 0.5 with mortality, indicating that the higher the semen ejaculation frequency, the higher the motility of spermatozoa.Keywords: Semen, ejaculation, volume, color, consistency, pH, motility