Efectos del estilo de vida y determinados compuestos tóxicos sobre la fertilidad masculina

Background

Nowadays, infertility is one of the most common problems in clinical medicine, as the number of couples that cannot conceive is increasing every year. The male factor contributes 40%-50% of the existing infertility and it has been observed that the seminal quality has been decreasing considerably in the last decades.

Aim

The main objective of this review focuses on the search for factors capable of affecting male fertility, determining what effects they produce in the body.

Material and methods

a bibliographic research was carried out in the main scientific journals in the field of assisted reproduction to identify the factors that alter male fertility and how they may be affecting it.

Results

It has been analysed 76 articles in this review. Among the main features that affect male fertility negatively, environmental compounds and lifestyle factors stand out. All of them can generate histomorphological, metabolic, endocrine, seminal and genetic alterations, although depending on the factor, they can affect more in some alterations than in others. Intake and environmental toxicants, health problems such as obesity or emotional disorders, as well as excessive physical exercise, act more frequently deregulating the hormonal system, decreasing testosterone levels and reducing the main sperm parameters (concentration, mobility and morphology). On the other hand, factors such as paternal age, intake toxicants, especially tobacco, and some environmental toxicants, such as bisphenol A or pesticides, act mainly generating breaks in DNA, mutations, chromosomal alterations or epigenetic changes.

Conclusion

All environmental and lifestyle factors analysed in this literature review have a negative effect on male fertility, which can be treated by improving life habits and/or through assisted reproduction techniques.