Phytoestrogens fertility

The health effects of phytoestrogens fertility, development and hormonal effects... 

Phytoestrogens were first associated with adverse effects on mammalian development and fertility from observations of animals consuming phytoestrogen-rich plants. Ewes feeding on Australian clover developed abnormal plasma concentrations of endogenous hormones with subsequent loss of fertility (Bennett etal.,l 946 Moersch et al., 1967 Obst and Seamark, 1975). 

There has been some speculation that estrogenic compounds may adversely affect the fertility of men by reducing testosterone levels and sperm counts (Atanassova et al, 2000). To date, however, the limited information available suggests that consumption of phytoestrogens does not affect reproductive hormones or semen quality (Nagata, 2000 Nagata et al., 2001 Mitchell et... 

In some animals, consumption of a phytoestrogen-rich diet can cause temporary infertility and reproductive system disorders (Irvine, 1999). In humans, lower testosterone levels and a decline in human semen quality over the past century have been luiked to increased exposure to environmental endocrine disrupters (EDCs) (Sharpe and Skakkebaek, 1993). Furthermore, cases of sexual impotence have been reported in males exposed to synthetic estrogens in the pharmaceutical industry (Mattison et al., 1990). If this might be the case, the fetal-prepubertal period and Sertoli cell development would be of critical importance (Sharpe and Skakkebaek, 1993). However, an adverse effect of phytoestrogens on male fertility has yet to be proven. Recent work (Mitchell et al., 2001) addressing this point led to the conclusion that up to 40 mg/day of isoflavones over a two-month period had no effects on gonadotrophin and... 

PHIPPS W R, WANGEN K E, DUNCAN A M, MERZ-DEMLOW B E, XU X and KURZER M S (2001) Lack of effect of isoflavonic phytoestrogen intake on leptin concentrations in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Fertil Steril. 75 (6) 1059-64. 

Hughes, C.L. (1988). Phytochemical mimicry of reproductive hormones and modulation of herbivore fertility by phytoestrogens. Environ. Health Perspectives, 78, 171-174. 

Gikas PD, Mokbel K. Phytoestrogens and the risk of breast cancer a review of the literature. Int J Fertil Women s Med. 2005 50 250-258. 

Casini ML, Marelli G, Papaleo E, Ferrari A, D Ambrosio F, Unfer V (2006) Psychological assessment of the effects of treatment with phytoestrogens on postmenopausal women a randomized, double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled study. Fertil Steril 85(4) 972-978... 

Awoniyi, C.A., Roberts, D., Veeramachaneni, D.N., Hurst, B.S., Tucker, K.E., and Schlaff, W.D. 1998. Reproductive sequelae in female rats after in utero and neonatal exposure to the phytoestrogen genistein. Fertil Steril 70,440-447. 

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