The Relationship between Anogenital Distance, Fatherhood, and Fertility in Adult Men

被引：165
作者：
Eisenberg, Michael L. [1 ]
Hsieh, Michael H. [2 ]
Walters, Rustin Chanc [1 ]
Krasnow, Ross [1 ]
Lipshultz, Larry I. [1 ]
机构：
[1] Baylor Coll Med, Scott Dept Urol, Div Male Reprod Med & Surg, Houston, TX 77030 USA
[2] Stanford Univ, Sch Med, Dept Urol, Palo Alto, CA 94304 USA
来源：
PLOS ONE | 2011年 / 6卷 / 05期
关键词：
TESTICULAR DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS; PROGRAMMING WINDOW; WHISTLE BLOWERS; NEWBORN-INFANTS; ANDROGEN ACTION; CANCER TRENDS; RAT; POPULATIONS; COUNTRIES; EXPOSURE;
D O I：
10.1371/journal.pone.0018973
中图分类号：
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号：
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要：
Background: Anogenital distance (AGD), a sexually dimorphic measure of genital development, is a marker for endocrine disruption in animal studies and may be shorter in infant males with genital anomalies. Given the correlation between anogenital distance and genital development, we sought to determine if anogenital distance varied in fertile compared to infertile adult men. Methods: A cross sectional study of consecutive men being evaluated for infertility and men with proven fertility was recruited from an andrology clinic. Anogenital distance (the distance from the posterior aspect of the scrotum to the anal verge) and penile length (PL) were measured using digital calipers. ANOVA and linear regression were used to determine correlations between AGD, fatherhood status, and semen analysis parameters (sperm density, motility, and total motile sperm count). Findings: A total of 117 infertile men (mean age: 35.3 +/- 17.4) and 56 fertile men (mean age: 44.8 +/- 9.7) were recruited. The infertile men possessed significantly shorter mean AGD and PL compared to the fertile controls (AGD: 31.8 vs 44.6 mm, PL: 107.1 vs 119.5 mm, p<0.01). The difference in AGD persisted even after accounting for ethnic and anthropomorphic differences. In addition to fatherhood, on both unadjusted and adjusted linear regression, AGD was significantly correlated with sperm density and total motile sperm count. After adjusting for demographic and reproductive variables, for each 1 cm increase in a man's AGD, the sperm density increases by 4.3 million sperm per mL (95% CI 0.53, 8.09, p = 0.03) and the total motile sperm count increases by 6.0 million sperm (95% CI 1.34, 10.58, p = 0.01). On adjusted analyses, no correlation was seen between penile length and semen parameters. Conclusion: A longer anogenital distance is associated with fatherhood and may predict normal male reproductive potential. Thus, AGD may provide a novel metric to assess reproductive potential in men.
引用
收藏
页数：7
相关论文
共 21 条
  • [1] ANOGENITAL RATIO - MEASURE OF FETAL VIRILIZATION IN PREMATURE AND FULL-TERM NEWBORN-INFANTS
    CALLEGARI, C
    EVERETT, S
    ROSS, M
    BRASEL, JA
    [J]. JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS, 1987, 111 (02) : 240 - 243
  • [2] EVIDENCE FOR DECREASING QUALITY OF SEMEN DURING PAST 50 YEARS
    CARLSEN, E
    GIWERCMAN, A
    KEIDING, N
    SKAKKEBAEK, NE
    [J]. BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL, 1992, 305 (6854) : 609 - 613
  • [3] Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene Exposure during the First Trimester of Pregnancy Alters the Anal Position in Male Infants
    [J]. ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES IN THE PACIFIC BASIN, 2008, 1140 : 155 - 162
  • [4] Combined exposure to anti-androgens causes markedly increased frequencies of hypospadias in the rat
    Christiansen, S.
    Scholze, M.
    Axelstad, M.
    Boberg, J.
    Kortenkamp, A.
    Hass, U.
    [J]. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANDROLOGY, 2008, 31 (02): : 241 - 247
  • [5] Reduced ratio of male to female births in several industrial countries - A sentinel health indicator?
    Davis, DL
    Gottlieb, MB
    Stampnitzky, JR
    [J]. JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, 1998, 279 (13): : 1018 - 1023
  • [6] Effects of phthalate esters on the developing reproductive tract of male rats
    Foster, PMD
    Mylchreest, E
    Gaido, KW
    Sar, M
    [J]. HUMAN REPRODUCTION UPDATE, 2001, 7 (03) : 231 - 235
  • [7] GREENHAM L W, 1977, Laboratory Animals (London), V11, P181, DOI 10.1258/002367777780936620
  • [8] Grigor KM, 2007, INT J ANDROL, V30, P204
  • [9] Hsieh Michael H, 2008, Curr Urol Rep, V9, P137
  • [10] Larsen WJ., 1997, Human embryology, VSecond, P261
123