Sperm quality, precocious puberty: Reproductive health decreases, endocrine disruptors are involved

A sperm sperm concentration that dropped by almost a third between 1989 and 2005, the number of cases of precocious puberty and testicular cancer increasing … France sees its "reproductive health" decrease, d after the Public Health Agency France. The latter has indeed considered the question of the influence of endocrine disruptors in this area in its weekly bulletin of Tuesday, July 3, 2018. While this degradation probably has environmental causes, it remains difficult to determine the share of responsibility of each

An alteration of male fertility over time

Santé Publique France examined four forms of testicular development disorder: two types of conbad malformations, increased risk of testicular cancer, and poor sperm quality in adulthood. As a result, in France, 3 out of 4 indicators indicate an alteration of male fertility

QUALITY OF SPERM . According to Public Health France, in 15 years the concentration of spermatozoa in semen has decreased by 32.2%, at a rate of 1.9% per year. The Agency also reports " a significant, unquantifiable decrease in the percentage of spermatozoa of normal morphology ". This phenomenon is not unique to France. The authors cite a study of 2017 that estimates this decline at " 1.4% per annum " on average " in Western countries (North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand) . " " It is possible that this decline began in the 1970s if we take into account a previous study conducted in the Paris region from 1973 to 1992 ", have further emphasized the researchers.

MALFORMATIONS . The incidence of cryptorchidias, or the absence of one or both testicles in the scrotum, increased by 2.6% per year in France. According to Public Health France, these cryptorchids "result from a lack of hormonal impregnation in androgens during fetal development" that could result from exposure during pregnancy to endocrine disruptors or epigenetic mechanisms (activation or inactivation of genes according to the environmental conditions). " Concerning the epigenetic mechanisms, the possibility of effects on several generations (…) via the gametes, is to envisage ", comments the Agency. " The male reproductive health trends observed today could thus reflect the exposures of previous generations, for example to DDT and dioxins ," the authors conclude. As for the hypospadias, malformations of the urethra characterized by an opening under the penis instead of its extremity, their incidence does not seem to evolve with time

CANCER OF TESTICLES . At the same time, cases of testicular cancer, which occur most often in patients aged 20 to 40, are progressing. From 1998 to 2014, the incidence of the disease increased by 1.5% per year. This rise " in populations of North European origin for several decades is a known fact and still unexplained ," the researchers underline.

Early puberty: regional disparities that highlight the impact of the environment

Cases of precocious puberty are only beginning to be reported, by the number of children treated. Manifested by " signs of puberty before the age of eight in girls and nine years in boys ", this puberty can have multiple negative consequences for physical health (cancer risk of reproductive organs, cardiovascular diseases) and mental. It affects girls 10 times more than boys. And the differences are marked between regions, with two particularly affected areas: the former Midi-Pyrénées region and the Rhône department, with incidences several times higher than the national average. " Early puberty may be linked to specific genetic factors, and ethnic / population factors may also play a role ", estimates Public Health France.

Endocrine disruptors, lifestyle, pollution … causes probably related to human activity

" Various causal hypotheses may be mentioned, notably exposures to EP " (endocrine disruptors), " increasing since the 1950s ", the authors argue. " Other causes are possible or may be intricate with previous ones, such as smoking in pregnant women (…), nutritional or metabolic factors, air pollution or lifestyle changes (sedentary lifestyle, stress, heat, sleep) "they add. But " the role of an environmental exposure to potentially endocrine disrupting substances and possibly anthropogenic (related to the intervention of humans, ed) is to be considered, without excluding environmental factors not yet identified ", according to the researchers

With AFP