 Excess weight is risk factor for male infertility
Excess weight is risk factor for male infertility
Source:
Human Reproduction 2007; 22: 2488-93
Examining the link between men's body weight and infertility using Norwegian cohort data.
MedWire News: Being overweight is a risk factor for male infertility, study findings show, although the value of weight loss remains unclear.
The study examined the association between men's body mass index (BMI) and couples' infertility using data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. Information on 26,303 couples was included in the final analysis.
Ruby Nguyen (National Institutes of Health , North Carolina, USA) and co-workers found that overweight men (BMI 25-29.9) were 20 percent more likely, and obese men (BMI 30-34.9) 36 percent more likely, to be infertile relative to men with low-normal weight (BMI 20-22.4).
The results were unchanged after adjusting for confounding variables including coital frequency. This is important because it indicates that the effect is not mediated by sexual dysfunction among heavier men, the researchers note.
Instead, the link between excess weight and infertility may be mediated through altered testosterone or estradiol levels or poor semen quality.
The association between BMI and infertility was J-shaped, the authors comment, since men with a BMI <20 also had an increased risk for infertility.
"Our data suggest that men's excess weight may contribute to infertility," Nguyen et al conclude. "Research is needed to see if weight loss improves fertility for these men."
Posted: 11 September 2007
(c) 2007 Current Medicine Group Ltd, a part of Springer Science+Business Media
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