Dataset Information

The Relation of Birth Weight and Adiposity Across the Life Course to Semen Quality in Middle Age.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Studies of body mass index and semen quality have reported mixed results, but almost all were cross-sectional and many were conducted in selected populations. Longitudinal studies in population-based cohorts are necessary to identify how timing and duration of excess adiposity may affect semen quality. METHODS:In 193 members of the Child Health and Development Studies birth cohort, we examined associations of birth weight and adiposity at six time points spanning early childhood and adulthood with sperm concentration, motility, and morphology at mean age 44 years, as well as with corresponding 2010 World Health Organization (WHO) subfertility reference levels. RESULTS:Birth weight for gestational age percentile was positively associated with square-root sperm concentration (regression coefficient B [95% confidence interval] = 0.02?×?103 sperm/ml [0.004, 0.04]). Overweight/obesity in men's 20s was associated with lower percent progressive motility (B =-5.2 [-9.9, -0.63]), higher odds of low motility (odds ratio (OR) = 2.4 [1.3, 4.4]), and higher odds of poor morphology (OR = 1.9 [0.94, 3.8]). Those who were overweight/obese in their 20s were also more likely to meet two or three WHO subfertility criteria (OR = 3.9 [1.6, 9.4]) compared with normal-weight men. Each additional adult decade in which a participant was overweight/obese was associated with higher odds of low motility (OR = 1.3 [0.96, 1.6]) and higher odds of meeting two or three WHO subfertility criteria (OR = 1.5 [1.0, 2.2]). CONCLUSIONS:In our data, associations among adiposity and sperm concentration, motility, and morphology varied according to timing and duration of exposure, potentially reflecting different biological mechanisms that influence these semen parameters.

SUBMITTER: Kahn LG

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7055633 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The Relation of Birth Weight and Adiposity Across the Life Course to Semen Quality in Middle Age.

Kahn Linda G LG Widen Elizabeth M EM Janevic Teresa T Straka Nadine N Liu Xinhua X Cirillo Piera M PM Cohn Barbara A BA Buck Louis Germaine M GM Factor-Litvak Pam P

Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.) 20191101

<h4>Background</h4>Studies of body mass index and semen quality have reported mixed results, but almost all were cross-sectional and many were conducted in selected populations. Longitudinal studies in population-based cohorts are necessary to identify how timing and duration of excess adiposity may affect semen quality.<h4>Methods</h4>In 193 members of the Child Health and Development Studies birth cohort, we examined associations of birth weight and adiposity at six time points spanning early ...[more]

PMID: 31569149

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Project description:Study questionWhat are the relations among birthweight (BW), semen parameters and birth outcomes in a population-based sample?Summary answerBW is unrelated to semen parameters, which are in turn unrelated to birth outcomes.What is known alreadyIn clinical settings, there has been suggestion that semen parameters are related to BW when comparing fertile and infertile men; however, findings have been less clear in more general populations.Study design, size, durationQuestionnaire data and semen samples were collected at baseline from 427 male participants of the population-based Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment (LIFE) prospective cohort study from 2005 to 2009, who were followed prospectively to assess pregnancy outcomes among 226 singleton births.Participants/materials, setting, methodsMen of at least 18 years of age who were married or in a committed relationship and trying to conceive were eligible for participation; physician-diagnosed infertility was an exclusion criterion. Participants were recruited from two geographic areas and semen samples were analyzed for 34 quality parameters categorized as general, motility, morphology, sperm head and sperm chromatin structure using methods including computer-aided semen analysis integrated visual optical system and sperm chromatin structure assay. Linear and mixed models were used for statistical analysis of the relations between men's BW, semen parameters, and BW, gestational age at delivery, birth length, head circumference and ponderal index of singleton births.Main results and the role of chanceNo association was observed between male BW and semen parameters or birth outcomes. Few associations were observed between semen parameters and birth outcomes, and the observed statistically significant associations were isolated and without a consistent pattern that would suggest an association between BW and birth outcomes.Limitations, reasons for cautionMen's BW was self-reported and may be subject to some imprecision. Semen analysis was performed the day after collection, an approach that impacts the assessment of motility and that may limit inference from our analyses of motility measures. In addition, inclusion criteria for selection into the cohort limits generalizability to generally healthy couples trying to conceive and without known subfertility.Wider implications of the findingsDespite suggestions from prior studies of male in utero exposures impacting BW and male reproductive health, there appears to be little support for such relations in this generally healthy population.Study funding/competing interest(s)Supported by the Intramural Research Program of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (N01-HD-3-3355, N01-HD-3-3356 and NOH-HD-3-3358). The authors report no competing interests, and a Memo of Understanding with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for semen analysis.Trial registration numberNot applicable.

Dataset Information

The Relation of Birth Weight and Adiposity Across the Life Course to Semen Quality in Middle Age.

Publications

The Relation of Birth Weight and Adiposity Across the Life Course to Semen Quality in Middle Age.

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