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. 2014 Dec 5;73:10.3402/ijch.v73.25808. doi: 10.3402/ijch.v73.25808

Table II.

Studies of reproductive health

Study Contaminant Outcome Population Results*
Mocevic (53) Hg Semen quality and reproduc. hormones Male partners of pregnant women (n=194) Inhibin B: Positive association (β=0.074, 95% CI: 0.021–0.126)
No association with other semen characteristics or reproductive hormones
Kvist (54) PFOA and PFOS Sperm Y:X ratio Male partners of pregnant women (n=201)
(participation rate: 78.5%) 		PFOS

  • Inverse association (i.e. lower Y:X ratio) (β=−0.002, 95% CI: −0.004–0.000)

  • PFOA: No association
Krüger (37) PCBs and OCPs ER, AR and AhR function Men and women (n=247)
(participation rate: 41% of all Greenlandic AMAP population and 74% for XAR and XARcompoutcomes) 		ΣPCBs

  • ER transactivity (males): Inverse association (β=−0.36 and −0.24 for XER and XERcomp respectively)

  • ER transactivity (females): Inverse association (β=−0.41 for XERcomp)

  • AhR transactivity (males): No association

  • AhR transactivity (females): Inverse association (β=−0.61)

  • ΣOCPs


ER transactivity (males): Inverse association (β=−0.34 for XER)

  • ER transactivity (females): Inverse association (β=−0.36 for XERcomp)

  • AhR transactivity (males): Inverse association (β=−0.29)

  • AhR transactivity (females): Inverse association (β=−0.55)

  • AR transactivity: No association
Krüger (38) PCBs and OCPs ER and AR transactivity Men and women (n=240)
(participation rate: 82% for XAR/XER outcome) 		ΣPCBs

  • ER transactivity (males and females): No association upon adjustment

  • AR transactivity (males): Inverse association (β=−0.42)

  • AR transactivity (females): No association


ΣOCPs

  • ER transactivity (males): No association

  • ER transactivity (females): Inverse association when adjusted for age (β=−0.24)

  • AR transactivity (males): Inverse association (β=−0.36)

  • AR transactivity (females): No association
Bonde (43) PCBs and p,p′-DDE Fertility and markers of male reproductive function Pregnant women and their spouses (n=598)
(participation rate: 90%) 		PCB-153

  • LH: Positive association (β=0.07, 95% CI: 0.02–0.12)

  • Sperm volume: Inverse association (β=−0.11, 95% CI: −0.2 to −0.04)

  • Progressive sperm: Inverse association (β=−4, 95% CI: −6 to −1)

  • Sperm counts: Low counts in subgroup of men with short androgen receptor CAG repeat length

  • Neutral α-glucosidase activity in seminal plasma: Inverse association

  • (β=−0.1, 95% CI: −0.2 to −0.0)

  • No association with other measures (e.g. time to conceive, apoptotic markers, sperm chromatin integrity)
        p,p′-DDE

  • Inhibin B: Positive association (β=6.4, 95% CI: 1.7–13.8)

  • Free testosterone: Positive association (β=0.02, 95% CI: 0.0–0.04)

  • Sperm volume: Inverse association (β=−0.04, 95% CI: −0.16 to −0.01)

  • Progressive sperm: Inverse association (β=−0.01, 95% CI: unclear to −0.6)

  • No association with other measures (e.g. sperm chromatin integrity, apoptotic markers, epididymal and accessory sex gland function)
Krüger (50) POPs (evaluated as effects on ER, AR and AhR) Sperm chromatin integrity Male spouses of pregnant women (n=53)

  • DNA fragmentation index: Inverse association with ER and AhR activities

  • DNA stainability: No association
Long (39) PCBs and OCPs AhR transactivity Men and women 18–77 years of age (n=357)
(participation rate: 48% for AhRcompoutcome) 		ΣPCBs:

  • No association (males or females) with AhR-TEQ

  • Inverse association with AhRcomp in males and females combined (β=−0.18)


ΣOCPs

  • Inverse association with AhR-TEQ (β=−0.31) in males; No association in females

  • Inverse association with AhR-TEQ (β=−0.21) in males and females combined

  • Inverse association with AhRcomp in males and females combined (β=−0.18)
Krüger (40) PCBs and p,p′-DDE Serum xenoandrogenic activity Male spouses of pregnant women (n=37) PCB-153: No association

  • p,p′-DDE: No association
Toft (52) POPs
(evaluated as effects on ER, AR and AhR)		 Semen quality Male spouses of pregnant women (n=54) No association specifically in Inuit. When data combined across all 4 populations (Warsaw, Greenland, Kharkiv, Sweden), ER activity associated with increase in sperm concentration and motility.
Long (51) POPs (evaluated as effects on ER, AR and AhR) Sperm DNA damage and
Sperm apoptotic markers		 Male spouses of pregnant women (n=54) DNA damage: Inverse association with ER and AhR
Bcl-xL marker: Inverse association with AR (Spearman’s correlation=−0.46)
No association with the sperm apoptotic marker, Fas
Long (41) PCBs and p,p′-DDE AhR activity Males (n=75) PCB-153: No association
p,p′-DDE: No association
Stronati (45) PCBs and p,p′-DDE Sperm DNA fragmentation and sperm apoptotic markers Male spouses of pregnant women (n=200)
(participation rate: 79%) 		PCB-153: No association
p,p′-DDE: No association
Elzanaty (47) PCBs and p,p′-DDE Epididymal function and
Accessory sex gland function		 Male spouses of pregnant women (n=163) PCB-153

  • Epididymal marker (neutral-α glucosidase): Inverse association (β=−0.2, 95% CI: −0.3 to −0.04)

  • No association with PSA, zinc, or fructose


p,p′-DDE: No association
Giwercman (48) PCBs and p,p′-DDE Reproductive hormone levels Male spouses of pregnant women (n=258)
(participation rate: 79%) 		PCB-153

  • LH: Positive association for highest exposure group compared with lowest exposure group (MD=1.4 IU/L, 95% CI: 1.1–1.7 IU/L)

  • No association with other reproductive hormones


p,p′-DDE

  • Free testosterone: Positive association (β=0.011, 95% CI: 0.004–0.024)

  • Inhibin B: Positive association for highest exposure group compared with lowest exposure group (MD=35 ng/L, 95% CI: 1.5–69 ng/L)

  • No association with other reproductive hormones
Bonefeld-Jorgensen (42) PCBs and p,p′-DDE Serum xenoestrogenic activity Male spouses of pregnant women (n=72) PCB-153: No association
p,p′-DDE: Inverse association (Spearman’s correlation=−0.29 for XER)
Tiido (49) PCBs and p,p′-DDE Sperm Y:X ratio Male spouses of pregnant women (n=157) PCB-153: No association
p,p′-DDE: No association
Toft (44) PCBs and p,p′-DDE Fertility Pregnant women (n=598) and their spouses (n=201)
(participation rate: 87%) 		PCB-153: No association
p,p′-DDE: No association
Spanò (46) PCBs and p,p′-DDE Sperm chromatin integrity Male spouses of pregnant women (n=193) PCB-153: No association
p,p′-DDE: No association

AhR=aryl hydrocarbon receptor; AMAP=Arctic Monitoring Assessment Programme; AR=androgen receptor; CI=confidence interval; DDE=dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene; DNA=deoxyribonucleic acid; ER=oestrogen receptor; Hg=mercury; IU=international unit; LH=luteinizing hormone; MD=mean difference; OCPs=organochlorine pesticides; PCBs=polychlorinated biphenyls; PFOA=perfluorooctanoic acid; PFOS=perfluorooctanesulfonate; POPs=persistent organic pollutants; PSA=prostate specific antigen.

*

Adjusted estimates are presented where available. Presented estimates are statistically significant at p≤0.05 level.