EFFECTS OF URINE ON THE FUNCTIONAL QUALITY OF HUMAN SPERMATOZOA

Objective: To determine the effect of urine on sperm function and to elucidate the reason by which it may be deleterious. Design: Prospective controlled in vitro study. Interactions: Sperm were exposed to various concentrations of pooled urine in Ham's F-10 Medium supplemented with 3.5 g% bovine serum albumin (GIBCO, Grand Island, NY) and sperm exposed to Ham's F-10 Medium with pH and osmolality adjusted to mimic that of the urine (pH 5.4; 520 mOsm). Main Outcome Measure: Sperm motility and the ability of sperm to penetrate and migrate into mucus and to penetrate hamster oocytes were determined. Results: All sperm variables studied were significantly decreased when the sperm were exposed to greater than or equal to 40% urine. Potential of hydrogen- and osmolality-adjusted Ham's F-10 did not significantly affect the sperm function. Conclusion: Urine is deleterious to sperm function and may involve other biochemical factors that are unrelated to pH and osmolality of urine.