Objectives: Phthalates are environmental chemicals with reproductive toxicity and estrogenic effects in animals.
They are of increasing concern to human health.
Aim: To determine whether phthalate levels in semen were associated with infertility.
Methods: Using semen samples from 107 infertile and 94 fertile men, the presence and quantity of five phthalate esters were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Using data collected from questionnaires and clinical examinations, the correlation between phthalate exposure and semen quality was analyzed.
Results: The cumulative levels of the measured phthalate esters were significantly higher in the infertility group compared to the control group (P< 0ยท05). Concentrations of the five phthalate esters in men varied by age with older men showing higher cumulative levels.
Conclusions: The presence of phthalates may contribute to male infertility in our study population.
Written by:
Wang SY, Wang Y, Xie FQ, Li YX, Wan XL, Ma WW, Wang DC, Wu YH. Are you the author?
Reference: Int J Occup Environ Health. 2014 Nov. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1179/2049396714Y.0000000088
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 25384258