Male infertility is caused by pollution – 04/13/2023 – Equilibrium

“We can take care of you. No problem. We can help you,” the doctor told Jennifer Hannington.

He then turned to her husband Ciaran and said, “But we can’t do much for you.”

The couple lives in Yorkshire, England, and has been trying to have a baby for two years. They knew conception could be difficult because Jennifer suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition that can affect fertility. What they didn’t expect is that there would be problems on Ciaran’s side as well.

Tests revealed low sperm count and low sperm motility. What’s worse, the treatment of these conditions is considered more difficult than Jennifer’s – in some cases, even impossible.

Ciaran Hannington still remembers his reaction: “Shock. Grief. I was in total denial. I thought the doctors had made a mistake.”

He always knew he wanted to be a father.

“I felt I had let my wife down.”

Over the years, his mental health deteriorated. He began spending more time alone, staying in bed and turning to alcohol for comfort. Until the panic attacks came.

“I reached a crisis point,” he says.

Male infertility accounts for about half of infertility cases and affects 7% of the male population. But it is much less discussed than female infertility, in part due to existing sociocultural taboos.

For most men with fertility problems, the causes are still unexplained and the stigmatization means that many of them suffer in silence.

Research indicates that this may be a growing problem. Several factors, such as pollution, have been shown to affect men’s fertility and, specifically, sperm quality.

Potentially, this growth can have immense consequences for individuals and for society as a whole.

Hidden fertility crisis?

The world’s population has increased dramatically over the past century.

Just 70 years ago (the span of a human lifetime), there were only 2.5 billion people on Earth. And by 2022, the world’s population will reach eight billion people.

But the rate of population growth has slowed, mainly due to social and economic factors.

Birth rates around the world are hitting record lows. More than 50% of the planet’s population lives in countries with a fertility rate below two children per woman. This results in gradual reduction in the population of these nations if there is no immigration.

Birth rates around the world are hitting record lows. More than 50% of the planet’s population lives in countries with a fertility rate below two children per woman. This results in gradual reduction in the population of these nations if there is no immigration.

Reasons for declining birth rates include positive developmental factors such as women’s greater financial independence and control over their reproductive health.

On the other hand, research indicates that, in countries with low fertility rates, many couples who would like to have more children are prevented for socioeconomic reasons, such as lack of support for families.

Likewise, there may also be a reduction in a different type of fertility known as fecundity – the physical ability to produce offspring. In particular, research indicates that the entire spectrum of reproductive problems in men is on the increase, including reduced sperm counts, falling testosterone levels, and increased incidences of erectile dysfunction and testicular cancer.

swimming cells

“Sperm cells are extraordinary cells”, according to gynecologist Sarah Martins da Silva, specialist in reproductive medicine at the University of Dundee, in the United Kingdom.

“They’re tiny, they swim and they can survive outside the body. No other cell can do that. They’re extraordinarily specialized.”

Seemingly small changes can have powerful effects on these highly specialized cells, particularly their ability to fertilize eggs.

Key aspects of fertility are the ability of sperm to move efficiently (their motility), their size and shape (morphology) and their quantity in a given semen sample (the sperm count). All these aspects are examined when a man intends to analyze his fertility.

“Generally, when you have less than 40 million sperm per milliliter of semen, you start to have fertility problems,” according to professor of epidemiology Hagai Levine of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel.

Levine explains that sperm count has a strong relationship with fertility. A higher sperm count does not necessarily mean a greater likelihood of conception, but below the 40 million/ml threshold, that probability drops rapidly.

In 2022, Levine and his collaborators published an analysis of global sperm count trends. The study showed that sperm counts dropped by an average of 1.2% per year between 1973 and 2018, from 104 to 49 million/ml.

And since the year 2000, the rate of decline has increased to more than 2.6% per year. Levine argues that this acceleration can be caused by epigenetic changes – changes in the way genes work, caused by environmental factors or lifestyle.

Another analysis also indicates that epigenetics may be one of the factors for sperm changes and male infertility. “There are signs that this could be cumulative over generations,” he says.

The idea that epigenetic changes can be inherited over generations is controversial, but there is evidence to suggest that it might be possible.

“This one [declínio da contagem de espermatozoides] it’s an indicator of poor health among men, perhaps even humanity,” says Levine. “We’re facing a public health crisis and we don’t know if it’s reversible.”

Research indicates that male infertility can predict future health problems, but the exact correlation is not fully known. One possibility is that certain lifestyle factors may contribute to infertility and other health problems.

“The experience of wanting a child and not being able to get pregnant is extremely devastating, but this is a much bigger problem,” according to Silva.

Individual lifestyle changes may not be enough to stop the decline in sperm quality. But mounting evidence indicates that there is a much broader environmental threat: toxic pollutants.

toxic planet

Rebecca Blanchard is a professor and researcher in veterinary medicine at the University of Nottingham, UK. She researches the effect of chemicals found in the home environment on men’s reproductive health.

Blanchard uses dogs as sentries – a kind of early warning system for human health.

“Dogs share our environment,” she explains. “They live in the same house and are exposed to the same chemical contaminants as we are. If you look at dogs, you can see what is happening to humans.”

His research focused on substances found in plastics, flame retardants and common household products. Some of these substances have been banned but still remain in the environment or in older products.

Blanchard’s studies revealed that these substances can disrupt our hormone systems and impair fertility in dogs and men.

“We found reduced sperm motility in humans and dogs,” she says. “There was also an increase in the amount of DNA fragmentation.”

DNA fragmentation in spermatozoa designates lesions or breaks in the spermatozoon’s genetic material. Its impact can go beyond conception – the greater the levels of DNA fragmentation, the more cases of miscarriage occur during pregnancy.

Blanchard’s findings confirm other research demonstrating the damage to fertility caused by substances found in plastics, household medicines, in the food chain and in the air. They harm men, women and even babies. Soot, eternal chemicals and phthalates have all been found in babies in the womb.

Climate change can also harm male fertility. Several animal studies indicate that sperm are especially vulnerable to the effects of rising temperatures.

Heat waves have been shown to damage sperm in insects, and similar impacts have been seen in humans.

A 2022 study concluded that heat — due to global warming or while working in high-temperature environments — impairs sperm quality.

Poor diet, stress and alcohol

In addition to these environmental factors, specific problems of individuals can also impair male fertility, such as poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, stress and alcohol and drug use.

In recent decades, people have started having children at an older age – and although women are often remembered for their biological clock, age was not believed to be an issue for male fertility.

But now this notion is changing. Being a father at an older age has been associated with reduced sperm quality and reduced fertility.

There is a growing call for increased knowledge about male infertility and new approaches to its prevention, diagnosis and treatment, as well as greater awareness of the urgent need to tackle pollution.

But in the meantime, is there anything individuals can do to protect or improve the quality of their sperm?

Exercise and healthy eating can be a good start, as they are linked to increased sperm quality.

Blanchard recommends choosing organic foods and plastic products free of BPA (Bisphenol A) – a substance associated with fertility problems among men and women.

“There are little things you can do,” she advises.

Ciaran Hannington adds that people shouldn’t suffer in silence.

When he hit rock bottom, he found an online support group for men with fertility issues called HIMfertility. The group is exclusively male and provides a space for men to share their ideas and concerns.

Now, Hannington advises others in their preparation for fertility treatment. For him, “no one should feel alone”.

Jennifer and Ciaran Hannington have had two children, after five years of treatment and three rounds of ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection), an in vitro fertilization technique in which a single sperm is injected into the center of an egg.

For people who must pay for fertility treatments, this procedure can be financially unfeasible. In the United States, a single round can cost upwards of $30,000 (about R$150,000) and insurance coverage can depend on your employer and the state where you live.

Hannington says he still feels the damage caused by his ordeal to his mental health.

“I give thanks for my kids every day, but you just don’t forget,” he says. “It will always be a part of me.”