Fertility and Sterility
Volume 90, Issue 3 , Pages 619-626, September 2008

Is overweight a risk factor for reduced semen quality and altered serum sex hormone profile?

Department of Occupational Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

Received 28 December 2006; received in revised form 5 July 2007; accepted 5 July 2007. published online 10 December 2007.

Objective

To evaluate whether overweight and obesity are related to changes in serum sex hormone concentrations and semen quality.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

Data from five previous population-based environmental studies of semen quality were combined into one database at a university hospital in Denmark.

Patient(s)

In total, 2,139 men provided data to the database.

Intervention(s)

Data on semen and blood samples and information on lifestyle and reproductive factors, including body mass index (BMI), were collected.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Semen quality (volume, concentration, total sperm count, and motility) and serum concentration of sex hormones.

Result(s)

The T and inhibin B serum concentrations were 25%–32% lower in obese men in comparison with normal-weight men, whereas the E2 concentration was 6% higher in obese men. Overweight men (BMI, 25.1–30.0 kg/m2) had a slightly lower adjusted sperm concentration and total sperm count than did men with a normal BMI (20.0–25.0 kg/m2), but no reduction in sperm count was observed among the obese men.

Conclusion(s)

These results corroborate earlier findings that overweight and obese men have a markedly changed sex hormone profile in serum, whereas reduction of semen quality, if any, was marginal and below the detection limit of this large study.

Key Words: Obesity, sex hormones, sperm concentration, epidemiology

To access this article, please choose from the options below

Login to an existing account or Register a new account.

  • Purchase this article for 31.50 USD (You must login/register to purchase this article)

    Online access for 24 hours. The PDF version can be downloaded as your permanent record.

  • Subscribe to this title

    Get unlimited online access to this article and all other articles in this title 24/7 for one year.

  • Claim access now

    For current subscribers with Society Membership or Account Number.

  • Visit SciVerse ScienceDirect to see if you have access via your institution.
 

 Supported by a grant from the University of Aarhus Research Foundation (Aarhus, Denmark).

PII: S0015-0282(07)01528-2

doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.07.1292

Fertility and Sterility
Volume 90, Issue 3 , Pages 619-626, September 2008

Article Tools