Effect of the Lebanese civil war on sperm parameters.

Objective: To assess the effect of the Lebanese civil war on sperm parameters.

Design: Retrospective review of patient records.

Setting: Males providing semen samples at a university laboratory. Semen samples collected 1985-1989 (during the war) were compared with those obtained 1991-1995 (postwar).

Patient(s): Males with or without a history of infertility providing semen samples at a university central laboratory.

Intervention(s): None.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Standard clinical semen analysis.

Result(s): The sperm concentration was significantly lower during the war compared with the postwar period. However, the percentage of abnormal sperm morphology increased in the postwar period. War had no significant effect on volume and motility. Postwar, the percent azospermic and those <10 million remained the same, but there was a shift in the count from the borderline count (11-20 million) to normal (>20 million).

Conclusion(s): There was a significant decline in sperm concentration during the Lebanese civil war. Increased stress level during the war is believed to be one of the main factors leading to this finding.