Parental subfecundity and risk of decreased semen quality in the male offspring: a follow-up study.

Full Abstract

A few studies have found poor semen quality in sons whose mothers have received fertility treatment, but it is unknown whether the poor semen quality is related to the infertility treatment or to infertility per se, for example, whether it is caused by hereditable factors. Using data from a population-based, Danish follow-up study conducted in 2005-2006, the authors of the present study examined whether sons of subfertile couples who had not received fertility treatment had poorer semen quality than sons of fertile couples. Among the 311 participants, an inverse association between parental waiting time to pregnancy and both semen volume and total sperm count was observed (p trend = 0.04 and p trend = 0.046, respectively). Semen volume in sons of subfertile parents (pregnant after > or =1 years) was 19% lower in comparison with that in sons of parents whose waiting time to pregnancy was 0-6 months (p = 0.02). Additionally, sperm concentration and percentage of morphologically normal sperm were, respectively, 22% (p = 0.15) and 23% (p = 0.13) lower in sons of subfertile parents. Results suggest a small-to-moderate effect of parental subfecundity on semen quality in sons, comparable with the hypothesis that low fecundity has at least partly hereditable causes.

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Author information

Author/s: Ramlau-Hansen, C H (CH); Thulstrup, A M (AM); Olsen, J (J); Bonde, J P (JP);

Affiliation: Department of Occupational Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. craha(-atsign-)as.aaa.dk

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: American journal of epidemiology (Am J Epidemiol), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Jun; vol 167 (issue 12) : pp 1458-64

Dates: Created 2008/06/09; Completed 2008/07/03;

PMID: 18408227, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Adult
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Gonadal Steroid Hormones - blood
Humans
Infertility, Male - epidemiology; etiology; genetics
Male
Parents

Parents
Pregnancy
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
Questionnaires
Reproductive Techniques, Assisted - adverse effects
Risk Factors
Semen - chemistry
Smoking - adverse effects
Sperm Count

Associated Chemicals: Gonadal Steroid Hormones (0)

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