Scientists are worried because a new study published in the Journal of Andrology has revealed that sperm quality in Finnish men has dramatically declined in the last decade. The reason they are so concerned is because Finland always had good quality sperm rates even when other countries had declining fertility rates.
They also noticed an increase in the number of Finnish men who were diagnosed with testicular cancer. This rise in cancer rates is also occurring in America and in Europe.
The researchers investigated 858 men in a semen quality study between 1998-2006. Sperm counts were less for younger men and the younger they were, the more they were reduced. For men born between 1979-1981, sperm counts were 227 million. For those born 1982-1983 the rate was 202 million and for those born in 1987, the rate was 165 million.
In addition to lowering rates, the quality of the sperm has also lowered with less than 10% of samples being normal. Numbers of normal sperm capable of fertilization and producing a healthy baby declined by seven million.
Male Infertility May be an Environmental Syndrome
Now, the researchers theorize that the declining male fertility rates and increasing testicular cancer may be a condition called Testicular Dysgenesis Syndrome (TDS). Doctors from Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark agree with those in Finland and wrote:
‘Poor semen quality, testis cancer, undescended testis and hypospadias are symptoms of one underlying entity, the testicular dysgenesis syndrome, which may be increasingly common due to environmental influences.’
They added that it was because of the rapid growth of male infertility that they reasoned it was an environmental, rather than a genetic cause. Endocrine disruptors in food and water were the biggest reason.
The Underlying Cause of Male Infertility is Often of Foetal Origin
Exposure to endocrine disruptors starts in the womb when the foetus is exposed to environmental chemicals and hormones that his mother comes into contact with. Although the placenta is designed to nourish and protect him, it isn’t fool proof. The Danish researchers even theorized that a man may be pre-disposed to testicular cancer in the womb:
‘Clinical and epidemiological evidence suggests that a large fraction of male reproductive disorders is of antenatal origin; this is not only true for congenital disorders but also for testicular cancer.’
Authors of the Finnish study say that such environmental exposures are preventable, meaning that a large proportion of male infertility cases are preventable. Their next step will be to seek out different causes of TDS and eliminate them to give men a better chance at becoming fathers.
Sources: Recent adverse trends in semen quality and testis cancer incidence among Finnish men, Journal of Andrology, 2nd March 2011.
Human Reproduction, volume 16, no.5, pp.972-978, 2001.
Joanna Karpasea-Jones - I have been a health writer since 1997 when I published my own newsletter, SHOTS. I have written 2 books on childhood health, and write ...
