Influence of Very Short-Term Sexual Abstinence on Basic Semen Parameters and Sperm Chromatin Status: A Preliminary Study

Infertility is a rising global medical problem that affects 15–20% of reproductive-age couples. Importantly, a male factor contributes to this issue in 30–50% of cases. Abnormalities in semen parameters, particularly sperm genome integrity, are major causes of male infertility. Recent reports indicate that the duration of sexual abstinence is a significant and easily modifiable factor that may influence semen quality. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the effects of very short-term sexual abstinence on standard semen parameters and sperm chromatin status. This study was conducted on semen samples obtained from adult men (n = 95) who were partners in couples with reproductive failure. Each participant provided two semen samples on the same day: the first after 2–7 days of sexual abstinence and the second after one hour of sexual abstinence. Semen analysis was performed according to the World Health Organization (2021) guidelines, and the sperm chromatin status was determined using three complementary assays: sperm chromatin dispersion test (SCDt), and aniline blue (ABt) and toluidine blue (TBt) stains. One-hour sexual abstinence significantly reduced the following parameters: ejaculate volume (median: 3.50 mL vs. 1.50 mL), total sperm count (median: 78.30 × 106 sperm vs. 29.00 × 106 sperm cells), number of sperm cells with DNA fragmentation (SDF index; SCDt; median: 19.00% vs. 16.50%), prevalence of subjects with an SDF index > 20% (44.18% vs. 24.46%) and odds ratio for an SDF index > 20% (OR = 0.4568). No significant differences were found in the results of the ABt or TBt. Our data indicate that a very short period of sexual abstinence negatively affects ejaculate volume and total sperm count but positively influences sperm genome integrity. Importantly, the sperm chromatin dispersion test can be considered a useful tool for verifying sperm DNA quality.