The diagnostic value of sperm in post‐ejaculatory urine

Post‐ejaculatory urine samples (PEUS) were obtained from patients undergoing semen analysis. The samples were examined for the presence, number and morphology of sperm. Spermatozoa were found in PEUS of 84.8% of 171 patients whose semen contained sperm. The presence of sperm after, but not before, ejaculation and their concentration in the first part of the void indicated the spermaturia to be the result of urethral washing after ejaculation. The number of sperm in PEUS was a small and variable fraction of the ejaculated sperm. A significant positive correlation was found between the PEUS and the semen sperm count, but there was a considerable overlap of PEUS counts between oligospermic and normospermic individuals. The percentage of sperm with normal morphology in PEUS reflected that in semen. It is concluded that although PEUS reflects some of the semen characteristics, a single PEUS cannot serve as a precise substitute for a direct semen analysis in the individual patient. It can, however, be used for establishing whether populations exposed to dangerous ecological conditions or to drugs which are known to adversely affect spermatogenesis, have reduced sperm count by comparison to appropriate control groups.