A new study reported that man’s infertility and quality of his sperm is linked to overall health and issues like blood pressure and hormone disorders. The researchers found fertility problems in about 15% of couples, of which at least 50% were due to poor sperm quality. The study, being the first of its kind, would broaden the scientific understanding of how poor semen quality could be associated with various health conditions.
Michael Eisenberg, Professor of Stanford University School of Medicine, said that we shall be paying more attention to those millions of men with semen deficiencies. Infertility or problems with reproduction may trigger problems with overall health, as early as in young men aged around 30. Infertility is also linked with early deaths, mainly because of heart conditions.
The new study reviewed the medical records of 9,387 men in age group between 30 and 50 to determine the cause of their infertility. The records belong to period between 1994 and 2011. The finding suggested early physical examinations in men with fertility problems to diagnose early signs of health problems.
About 44% of all the men were found to have some additional health problem besides poor semen quality. The average age for these men was about 38 years. The main causes were diseases of the circulatory system including high blood pressure, heart disease and vascular disease. The findings also revealed the association of increase in the different kinds of defects in a man’s semen with increase chances of having a skin disease or hormone disorder.
Building on the findings of this study, a future research is called for to explore the relation between semen defects and other health disorders and establish cause-and-effect hypothesis.
Dr. Eisenberg emphasized that a visit to a fertility clinic shall be leveraged to assess overall health of men with semen deficiencies as a man’s health is strongly correlated with semen quality.
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