ESPEYB20 5. Puberty Clinical Guidance and Studies (8 abstracts)
5.2. Timing of puberty in relation to semen characteristics, testicular volume, and reproductive hormones: a cohort study
Brix N , Gaml-Sorensen A , Ernst A , Arendt LH , Harrits Lunddorf LL , Toft G , Tottenborg SS , Haervig KK , Hoyer BB , Hougaard KS , Bonde JPE & Ramlau-Hansen CH
Fertil Steril. 2023; S0015-0282(23)00540-X.PMID: 37257718. https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(23)00540-X/fulltext
Brief summary: This cohort study explored the potential link between self-reported age at puberty and markers of male fecundity.
In this article, the authors explored pubertal timing as a determinant of male fecundity. This cohort study was based on the Danish National Birth Cohort which consisted of around 100 000 mother-child pairs recruited during 1996–2002. A little more than 1000 men aged 19 were evaluated for semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, sperm motility, percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa, testicular volume and reproductive hormones according to self-reported timing of pubertal development.
Older age at voice break was associated with higher FSH and lower testosterone. Later puberty also tended to be associated, although not significantly, with slightly lower total sperm count, poorer motility, and lower testicular volume. These results are consistent with previous smaller studies reporting that men completing their puberty later tended to have lower sperm count, sperm concentration and testosterone levels (1–3). Although a recruitment bias might exist, it is unlikely to be major as 19-year-old men are usually not aware of their fecundity status. Stronger effects might have been identified if men had been evaluated later in life. As stated by the authors, these results lend weak support to the hypothesis that older age at pubertal development is associated with markers of reduced male fecundity, especially in reproductive hormones. The mechanisms through which later puberty would be associated to potentially impaired Sertoli cell function remain elusive.
References: 1. Lauridsen LL, Arendt LH, Stovring H, Olsen J, Ramlau-Hansen CH. Is age at puberty associated with semen quality and reproductive hormones in young adult life? Asian J Androl. 2017;19:625–32. 2. Jensen TK, Finne KF, Skakkebaek NE, Andersson AM, Olesen IA, Joensen UN et al. Self-reported onset of puberty and subsequent semen quality and reproductive hormones in healthy young men. Hum Reprod. 2016; 31:1886–94. 3. Wang X, Zou P, Mo M, Yang H, Chen Q, Zhou N et al. Early pubertal timing is associated with lower sperm concentration in college students. Oncotarget. 2018;9:24178–86.
Article tools
My recent searches
My recently viewed abstracts
Authors
ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology
ISSN 1662-4009 (Online)
© Bioscientifica 2024 |
Privacy policy |
Cookie settings
BiosciAbstracts
Bioscientifica Abstracts is the gateway to a series of products that provide a permanent, citable record of abstracts for biomedical and life science conferences.
Find out more