Infertility affects 2.5 million males in the UK
Featured ArticleMain Category: Fertility
Article Date: 13 Sep 2005 - 15:00 PDT
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A Norwich Union Healthcare report says that two and a half million men in the UK could have fertility problems - this is about 9% of the male population.
Many doctors say that smoking could be a factor. This is a puzzling conclusion - thirty years ago over 50% of the male population smoked, now less than 25% smoke, but fertility problems during this period have increased. Some doctors say alcohol may also play a part in this increase (we do not have statistics for alcohol consumption in the UK over the last 30 years among adult males).
Some doctors say stress could be playing a part.
Doctors say that the number of sperms per ejaculation has gone down significantly over the last 30 years. The quality of the sperm has also deteriorated.
There is concern that an increase in infertility will accelerate an already ageing population.
When couples have difficulty in conceiving a child, male infertility accounts for just over 30% of cases.
The report also found that most men see infertility as a female problem. The majority are not aware that male infertility accounts for one third of difficulties in conceiving.
Many have written to us at Medical News Today in confusion:
1. If smoking has dropped, why has infertility increased. Surely, doctors are aware of smoking rates over the last 30 years. Why do they still blame smoking?
2. Men are much fatter than they used to be. Why was this not mentioned by doctors? Obesity and overweight must be a factor, surely?
3. Men lead a more sedentary life than they used to.
4. Could it not be something in the environment? There are many more cars than there used to be, more pollution, our diets are less 'fresh' than they used to be (we eat more processed foods loaded with additives).
Written by Christian Nordqvist
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This is due to the secular trend...
posted by James Michael Howard on 13 Sep 2005 at 8:06 pmI suggest this is part of the “secular trend,” the increase in size and earlier puberty occurring in children. This is simply a manifestation of the trend in adults. I think the secular trend is caused by an increase in the percentage of individuals of higher testosterone within the population over time. This increase in individuals of higher testosterone may account for all of the currently increasing pathologies of our society, such as obesity, diabetes, etc., and infertility. The article did not mention women, but infertility should also be increasing in certain groups of women.
Here is a paper I wrote concerning these phenomena in 2004:
A Possible Explanation of the Decline in Birth Rate Among “Adolescent and Young Teen Girls in the United States” as Well as Other Groups
Copyright 2004, James Michael Howard, Fayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.A.
The birth rate of “adolescent and young teen girls in the United States” has declined to the lowest levels since 1946. The explanations include abstinence programs and birth control. Well, this combination may be the reason and this would be positive because it can be continued. However, there may be another reason for this decline in birth rate.
It is my hypothesis that the “secular trend,” the increase in size and earlier puberty occurring in our children results from increases in testosterone. That is, the percentage of people of higher testosterone is increasing more rapidly than those of lower testosterone. (Testosterone, not estrogen, is the source of sexual activity in girls and women.) Over time the percentage of individuals of higher testosterone increases within the population. This is driven by the percentage increase in women of higher testosterone and the consequences of this are due to exposure of fetuses to higher maternal testosterone. The neonates become children who grow bigger and enter puberty earlier, among other phenomena that are also increasing within our population.
If individuals of higher testosterone are increasing in percentage and this is the cause of reduced birth rates, then increased testosterone should be connected with reduced fertility and conception in women and girls. This is supported.
In this citation, note the effects of testosterone on fertility “in the absence of clinical signs of hyperandrogenism. In other words, increased testosterone may reduce fertility in women and girls without outward signs of excessive testosterone. “The mean level of free T [testosterone] was significantly higher (P less than 0.05) in anovulatory women when compared with ovulatory ones. …The results show that in infertile women determination of androgen levels, and especially free T [testosterone], is indicated in the absence of clinical signs of hyperandrogenism.” (Human Reproduction 1988; 3: 437-439).
This next citation supports, again, that high testosterone reduces conception. “In addition, levels of free testosterone during the follicular phase were significantly lower in women who conceived compared to non-conceptional IVF cycles, whereas levels of total testosterone were similar.” (Human Reproduction 1992; 7: 1365-70).
This effect does not affect women alone. Too much testosterone reduces spermatogenesis, sperm count, in men. Testosterone undecanoate increases free testosterone in men. “Monthly injections of testosterone undecanoate (TU) act as a male contraceptive by reversibly suppressing spermatogenesis to azoospermia or severe oligoazoospermia in 95% of Chinese men.” (Journal of Andrology 2004; 25: 720-7) I suggest the secular trend, the increase in testosterone, is also affecting men. This effect may be linear, that is, sperm count may begin to be reduced at a high level of testosterone before actually causing spermatogenesis to cease. I think this is occurring with the secular trend.
Again, I suggest the secular trend, which is real and robust in our children (“Secular Trends in Height Among Children During 2 Decades,” (Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine 2000; 154: 155-161), represents an increase in individuals of higher testosterone. As this increase occurs, we increasingly see the effects of excessive testosterone. I suggest one of these effects is a reduction in birth rates of individuals of high testosterone because high testosterone reduces fertility / conception in females and reduces sperm count in males. This may be the cause the decline in teenage birth rates.
Now, as I stated above, the institution which reported these findings regarding teenage birth rates suggested that abstinence programs and contraception may be producing this effect. If I am correct, then we should be seeing other consequences of increasing testosterone within our population that should not be ameliorated by abstinence programs or contraception. Autism has been connected with maternal testosterone levels and autism is also increasing within our population. Testosterone levels have been directly connected with breast cancer. “…testosterone might be more strongly associated with [breast cancer] risk than estradiol.” ( Journal of the National Cancer Institute (U.S.A.) 2002; 94: 606-616). Breast cancer is rapidly increasing and has been determined to not be due to increased surveillance. I also suggest a strong case may be made for the involvement of excessive testosterone with obesity, premature and underweight births, and learning problems, all of which are increasing.
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