Nature & Environment
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals May be Impacting Fertility in Industrialized Countries
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Dec 10, 2015 04:49 PM EST
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals may actually be impacting fertility in industrialized countries. Scientists have taken a closer look at the decline of birth rates in industrialized countries and found it may be due to the introduction of chemicals.
In this latest study, the researchers looked at a number of factors related to fertility. They found that poor semen quality contributed to increases in infertility. In addition, they found higher incidence of testicular cancer worldwide, with the greatest frequency among Caucasian populations. They also found lower levels of testosterone in average men.
"I was surprised that we found such poor semen quality among young men aged 20 to 25," said Niels E. Skakkebaek, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The average man had up to 90 percent of abnormal sperm. Normally, there would be so many sperms that a few abnormal ones would not affect fertility. However, it appears that we are at a tipping point in industrialized countries where poor semen quality is so widespread that we must suspect that it results in low pregnancy rates."
There is no doubt that environmental factors are playing a role when it comes to low fertility. Many of the male reproductive problems could be due to damage to the testes during embryonic development. While the reproductive problems could arise from genetic changes, recent evidence suggests they are more often related to environmental exposures of the fetal testes.
"Since the disorders of the male genitals have increased over a relatively short period of time, genetics alone cannot explain this development," said Skakkebaek. "There is no doubt that environmental factors are playing a role and that endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which have the same effect on animals, are under great suspicion. The exposure that young people are subjected to today can determine not only their own, but also their children's ability to procreate."
The findings are published in the journal Physiological Reviews.
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First Posted: Dec 10, 2015 04:49 PM EST
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals may actually be impacting fertility in industrialized countries. Scientists have taken a closer look at the decline of birth rates in industrialized countries and found it may be due to the introduction of chemicals.
In this latest study, the researchers looked at a number of factors related to fertility. They found that poor semen quality contributed to increases in infertility. In addition, they found higher incidence of testicular cancer worldwide, with the greatest frequency among Caucasian populations. They also found lower levels of testosterone in average men.
"I was surprised that we found such poor semen quality among young men aged 20 to 25," said Niels E. Skakkebaek, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The average man had up to 90 percent of abnormal sperm. Normally, there would be so many sperms that a few abnormal ones would not affect fertility. However, it appears that we are at a tipping point in industrialized countries where poor semen quality is so widespread that we must suspect that it results in low pregnancy rates."
There is no doubt that environmental factors are playing a role when it comes to low fertility. Many of the male reproductive problems could be due to damage to the testes during embryonic development. While the reproductive problems could arise from genetic changes, recent evidence suggests they are more often related to environmental exposures of the fetal testes.
"Since the disorders of the male genitals have increased over a relatively short period of time, genetics alone cannot explain this development," said Skakkebaek. "There is no doubt that environmental factors are playing a role and that endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which have the same effect on animals, are under great suspicion. The exposure that young people are subjected to today can determine not only their own, but also their children's ability to procreate."
The findings are published in the journal Physiological Reviews.
Related Articles
Fertility: Exercise and Weight Loss Help PCOS Women Get Pregnant
Estrogen in the Environment May be Changing the Gender of Frogs in Suburbia
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone