This work is licensed under a Table 4.
Characteristics of semen, testicular size, and reproductive hormone for 173 young Danish men stratified by tertiles of maternal pregnancy week 30 serum ΣDL-PCB concentrations.
| Median (p25–p75) | Adjusted percentage difference from low ΣDL-PCB group a (95% CI) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parameter | n | Low ΣDL-PCB (n=58) | Medium ΣDL-PCB (n=58) | High ΣDL-PCB (n=57) | β-coeff (95% CI) a | Trend P value a | Medium ΣDL-PCB | High ΣDL-PCB | Adjusted β-coeff (95% CI) a b | Adjusted trend P value a b |
| Sperm concentration (106/ml) | 173 | 37 (13–62) | 36 (16–61) | 42 (22–94) | 4.03 (−15.23; 23.28) | 0.68 | −2 (−46; 43) | 22 (−25; 70) | 0.25 (−0.24; 0.73) | 0.32 |
| Total sperm count (106) | 129 | 123 (27–215) | 93 (45–198) | 128 (54–265) | 11.91 (−41.37; 65.18) | 0.66 | 2 (−52; 56) | 33 (−23; 90) | 0.26 (−0.36; 0.87) | 0.41 |
| Semen volume (ml) | 129 | 3.0 (2.2–4.2) | 3.1 (2.1–3.9) | 3.0 (2.0–4.1) | −0.004 (−0.68; 0.67) | 0.99 | 7 (−14; 28) | 9 (−13; 31) | 0.07 (−0.17; 0.30) | 0.57 |
| Percentage progressive spermatozoa | 173 | 66 (52–74) | 65 (52–74) | 65 (52–69) | −2.25 (−6.80; 2.29) | 0.33 | 2 (−8; 12) | −1 (−11; 9) | −0.02 (−0.13; 0.09) | 0.71 |
| Percentage motile spermatozoa | 173 | 74 (63–79) | 74 (69–80) | 72 (64–76) | −1.99 (−5.58; 1.60) | 0.28 | 3 (−3; 9) | −2 (−9; 4) | −0.02 (−0.09; 0.05) | 0.56 |
| Percentage morphologically normal spermatozoa | 161 | 9 (5–13) | 7 (3–12) | 9 (6–13) | 0.24 (−1.88; 2.36) | 0.82 | −21 (−68; 25) | −15 (−65; 35) | −0.16 (−0.70; 0.39) | 0.56 |
| Mean testicular volume (ml) | 173 | 15 (11–20) | 18 (13–20) | 15 (12–20) | 0.75 (−1.07; 2.57) | 0.42 | 9 (−4; 23) | 4 (−10; 18) | 0.05 (−0.09; 0.20) | 0.49 |
| Testosterone (nmol/l) | 173 | 22 (18–25) | 21 (17–23) | 21 (19–27) | −0.01 (−1.94; 1.92) | 0.99 | −7 (−18; 3) | −2 (−13; 9) | −0.003 (−0.12; 0.11) | 0.95 |
| Free testosterone | 173 | 0.53 (0.43–0.61) | 0.51 (0.43–0.60) | 0.54 (0.43–0.61) | −0.01 (−0.06; 0.03) | 0.60 | −4 (−16; 7) | −2 (−13; 10) | −0.01 (−0.13; 0.11) | 0.85 |
| Estradiol (nmol/l) | 173 | 0.10 (0.08–0.12) | 0.09 (0.08–0.11) | 0.10 (0.08–0.11) | −0.006 (−0.02; 0.004) | 0.25 | −6 (−18; 6) | −4 (−17; 8) | −0.04 (−0.17; 0.09) | 0.50 |
| LH (IU/l) | 173 | 4.5 (3.6–5.8) | 4.1 (3.1–5.1) | 4.4 (3.6–5.6) | 0.09 (−0.57; 0.76) | 0.78 | −11 (−26; 4) | −2 (−18; 13) | −0.005 (−0.17; 0.16 | 0.95 |
| FSH (IU/l) | 173 | 2.9 (2.0–4.3) | 3.1 (2.3–4.5) | 3-0 (2.4–4.3) | 0.001 (−0.73; 0.73) | 1.00 | 8 (−12; 29) | 1 (−20; 22) | −0.006 (−0.23; 0.21) | 0.95 |
| Inhibin B (pg/ml) | 173 | 219 (158–261) | 225 (181–281) | 224 (159–277) | 13.74 (−16.97; 44.45) | 0.38 | 4 (−12; 20) | 7 (−10; 23) | 0.11 (−0.06; 0.29) | 0.20 |
| SHBG (nmol/l) | 173 | 26 (22–34) | 26 (21–31) | 28 (22–35) | 1.47 (−2.20; 5.15) | 0.43 | −9 (−23; 4) | −3 (−17; 10) | −0.01 (−0.15; 0.13) | 0.89 |
Note: p, percentile.
Adjustment: all multivariable regression results were adjusted for the history of reproductive tract disease, the son's BMI; son's smoking status, maternal smoking during pregnancy, socioeconomic status, and total lipid. Sperm concentration, total sperm count, progressive spermatozoa, motile spermatozoa, semen volume, and testicular volume were adjusted for abstinence time; sperm concentration was also adjusted for spillage during semen sample collection; progressive spermatozoa and motile spermatozoa were also adjusted for time from ejaculation to semen analysis; reproductive hormones were also adjusted for time of day of blood sampling.
Trends on Σdioxin-like PCB concentrations (continuous data) were tested by robust linear regression analysis (untransformed crude data) and multiple regression analysis (adjusted data).