Male fertility reproductive health

IRVINE D s (1999) Changes in human male reproductive health. In Glover, T D and Barratt, C L R, eds, Male Fertility and /nfertility Cambridge Cambridge University Press, pp. 128-46. 

Fertility assessment in test animals has limited sensitivity as a measure of reproductive injury, because, unlike humans, males of most test species produce sperm in excess of the minimum requirements for fertility. In addition, test animals can undergo multiple matings (Amann, 1981 Working, 1988 Chapin Heindel, 1993). In some strains of rats and mice, production of sperm can be reduced by 90% or more without compromising fertility (Aafjes et al., 1980 Meistrich, 1982 Working, 1988) in human males, less severe reduction in sperm production can cause reduced fertility. Thus, measurement of change in sperm count or fertility in laboratory rodents may be insufficient to assess reproductive health risk in humans. Other animal models may be more suitable for assessing fertility (Chapin et al., 1998). However, it should not be assumed that a reduction in sperm count (i.e., <90%) will have no effect on fertility in rodents (Wine et al., 1997). 

Semen Analysis. The semen analysis measures ejaculate volume, pH, sperm count, motility, and forward progression. Semen should be analyzed within 1 hour after collection. Although the semen analysis is not a test for infertility, it is considered the most important laboratory test in the evaluation of male fertility. Controversy exists as to what constitutes a normal semen profile. With the exception of the azoospermic male (defined as no sperm in the ejaculate), the lines between fertility and infertility are blurred, and are intimately associated with the status of the female partner s reproductive function. However, clinical studies of infertile men and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines have helped establish hmits of adequacy (Table 53-4). "... 

CHRONIC HEALTH RISKS may have effects on the liver, including jaundice anemia may impair male fertility experimental reproductive effects have been reported. 

Newer tools for the detection of Y chromosome deletions have further strengthened (he hypothesis that the decline in male reproductive health and fertility may he related to the presence of these toxic chemical compounds in the environjnent. The development of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICST), a technique introduced in the early 1990s, i.s beyond doubt the most important recent breakthrough in the treatment of male infertility. This was made... 

Saad, B., N.H. Hanif, M.I. Saleh, N.H. Hasim, A. Abu, and N. Ali. 2004. Determination of o-phenylphenol, diphenyl and diphenylamine in apples and oranges using HPLC with fluorescence detection. Food Chem. 84(2) 313-317. Schmidt, T.C., M. Less, R. Haas, E. von Low, K. Steinbach, and G. Stork. 1998. Gas chromatographic determination of aromatic amines in water solid-phase extraction and derivatization with iodine. 7. Chromatogr. A 810 161-72. Thysen, B., S. K. Varma, and E. Bloch. 1985a. Reproductive toxicity of 2,4-toluenediamine in the rat. 1. Effect on male fertility. 7. Toxicol. Environ. Health 16 6) 753-61. 

Although the effects of chronic exposure of humans to low levels of POPs are difficult to predict, some biological effects have been described. For example, exposure of children to PCBs and PCDD/Fs may be linked to an elevated risk for infectious diseases. Exposure of pregnant women to PCDD/Fs may cause lower fertility in their male offspring. The adverse effects to human health of acute and chronic exposure of high concentrations of POPs, especially among industrial workers exposed to daily intakes of chemicals, are more evident. Elevated concentrations of DDE and TCDD have been associated with the development of cancers such as breast cancer, leukaemia and thyroid cancer. Dioxin exposure may also be associated with immunotoxicity, reproductive diseases and neurotoxicity. Extreme exposure to chlorinated compounds has resulted in death [101]. 

Temporal changes in fertility may be a more reliable indicator than sperm counts regarding possible alterations in male reproductive capacity, and the World Health Organization has devel-... 

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