Ejaculation as a source of proteinuria regardless of the presence or absence of sperm in semen

Abstract

Objectives: The presence of protein in urine samples without any background leads to subsequent unnecessary tests. The objective of this paper was to assess protein in urine before and after semen sampling in azoospermic and non-azoospermic men to determine the role of semen proteins or spermatozoa as a source of false proteinuria. Methods: Urine samples were collected from 220 men before and after semen sampling. Urine dipsticks and sulfosalicylic acid (SSA) turbidity tests were subsequently used for detection of urinary protein. Results: Out of 220 participants, 14 cases had proteinuria before ejaculation on semen analysis (S/A), while among the remaining 206 individuals, 54 (26.21%) showed positive proteinuria upon semen sampling (P<0.001). There were no significant differences between the prevalence of proteinuria in azoospermic and non-azoospermic patients. Conclusion: Ejaculation is believed to be a benign cause of proteinuria and it should be one of the questions asked before urine sampling in the laboratory or in a case of suspected proteinuria.