Impotence: lousy semen, early death

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MunichSome men cannot father children because they mainly produce malformed sperm. Now it has been shown that these gentlemen also have a lower life expectancy than their potent counterparts.

Sperm under the microscope

Scientists led by Michael Eisenberg from Stanford University had followed the careers of more than 12,000 men over a period of eight years. The participants were between 20 and 50 years old and had all been examined for possible infertility. For this purpose, their sperm quality had been tested. In addition to the number and agility of the seeds in the ejaculate, their shape is also decisive.

For example, the sperm may be too small, the protective cap - the so-called acrosome - may be poorly formed, the flagella that the little swimmers normally use may be too short - or the sperm is simply deformed.

Doubled the risk of death

The result: men whose sperm exhibited two or more abnormalities were more than twice as likely to die during the study period as men with good sperm. Apparently, the sperm quality allows conclusions to be drawn about the general state of health.

So being sterile is not only problematic for men who want to be fathers. "Male infertility is associated with just as much a risk of premature death as diabetes or smoking," explains study director Michael Eisenberg.

Lifestyle influences sperm quality

The researchers do not yet know exactly how this connection can be explained. "It seems plausible that infertility is the result of a pre-existing health problem," says Eisenberg. The reason for the increased mortality would then not be infertility itself, but poor health.

In fact, previous research has shown that lifestyle has an impact on sperm quality. Obesity and smoking, lack of exercise and high alcohol consumption, for example, are known to be detrimental to health - and sperm also suffer from them. But genetic or hormonal factors could also reduce fertility and at the same time increase mortality.

Widespread infertility

Infertility is widespread in industrialized nations. Around every seventh couple has problems having a child. In forty percent of cases, the cause lies with the woman, in just as many cases with the man, and in twenty percent with both partners. (cf)

Source: Michael L. Eisenberg et al: Male fecundity and its implications for health and disease across the lifespan, Hum. Reprod. doi: 10.1093 / humrep / eng108

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