A controlled trial of the use of erythromycin for men with asthenospermia

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Abstract
A double-blind crossover controlled trial of Erythromycin was conducted in 78 men with asthenospermia (mean pretreatment sperm concentration .gtoreq. 20 .times. 106 ml and motility < 60%). Sperm mortality increased above the pretreatment mean after the first 1 mo. course of treatment for both Erythromycin (7.9 .+-. 2.6% P < 0.01; mean .+-. standard error of the mean) and the placebo (11.4 .+-. 2.8% P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the changes in sperm motility with Erythromycin and placebo. Twelve pregnancies occurred during the 4 mo. trial time 8 with Erythromycin and 4 with placebo (.chi.2 = 2.51 P = not significant). Apparently, in infertile men, sperm motility tends to increase spontaneously with time. Erythromycin treatment has no significant effect on semen quality and a larger trial will be required to determine if Erythromycin increases fertility.