Table 4.
Studies on early life endocrine disrupting chemical exposure and associations with semen quality.
| EDC class | Reference | Matrix | Study design | Chemicals/congeners reported | N of subjects | Country | Association between chemical levels and semen quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phenols: BPA | |||||||
| Hart 2018 | (149) | Maternal serum | Cohort | Maternal serum for total BPA (free+ conjugated) | 136 men (20-22 years of age) | Australia | Positive association between maternal serum BPA levels and sperm concentration and motility of the sons |
| Serum FSH, LH | |||||||
| Dioxins | |||||||
| Mocarelli 2011 | (150) | Serum | cohort | Maternal dioxin level at conception | 39 men born to mothers who exposed to dioxin following the accident in Seveso, Italy (mean age, 22.5 y ± 2.2 y) vs 58 comparisons (mean age = 24.6 y ± 2.0) | Italy | 21 breast-fed sons vs 36 breast-fed comparisons: lower |
| - sperm concentration | |||||||
| - total sperm count | |||||||
| - progressive motility | |||||||
| - total motile count | |||||||
| Formula fed exposed vs formula-fed and breast-fed comparisons: no sperm related differences | |||||||
| Phthalates | |||||||
| Hart 2018 | (153) | Maternal serum (pooled at 18 and 34 GW) | Cohort | Maternal serum (pooled at 18 and 34 GW) for 32 phthalate metabolites | 423 men (20-22 years of age) | Australia | Negative association between |
| - antenatal serum MEP levels and seminal volume | |||||||
| 111 men who provided semen samples | - MCiOP level and sperm | ||||||
| motility | |||||||
| Axelsson 2015 | (154) | Maternal serum | Cross-sectional | Maternal serum for metabolites of DEHP and DiNP | 112 adolescent males, aged 17.5-20.5 y | Sweden | Semen volume of the men with the highest tertile of MEHHP and MCiOP was lower than men with the lowest tertile. |
| PCBs and pesticides (p,p’-DDE) | |||||||
| Vested 2014 | (152) | Maternal serum | Birth cohort | Maternal serum for 6 PCBs and p,p’-DDE (pregnancy week 30) | 176 men, aged 19-21 y | Denmark | No associations between maternal serum ∑PCBs, ∑DL-PCB, p,p’-DDE levels and semen quality of the sons |
| Semen and blood sample from each son | |||||||
| Perfluorinated compounds | |||||||
| Vested 2013 | (162) | Serum | Birth cohort | Maternal serum for PFOA and PFOS (pregnancy week 30) | 169 men, aged 19-21 y | Denmark | Maternal serum PFOA levels had negative association with sperm concentration and TSC (only in adjusted models) |
| Semen and blood sample from each son | Maternal serum PFOS: NS |
NS, no statistically significant association.
Only statistically significant results are shown.