Pros And Cons Of Fertility

Fertility is the capacity to conceive or to induce conception. INFERTILITY is the inability to conceive after one year of sexual relations without contraception, or the inability to carry pregnancy to a live birth. It affects about one in six couples of childbearing age. STELILITY is complete inability to conceive children, and is relatively rare. Free Dictionary by Farlex

Humans are constantly exposed to a range of chemicals and toxins in their environment which can affect their health, including their reproductive health. For men, a range of environmental exposures are associated with reduced sperm concentration and quality. Men whose sperm is sub-optimal in either quantity or quality are less likely to conceive, and will, on average, take

For example, a longitudinal study, which compared the semen samples of men with varying exposures to organophosphorus pesticides found that men with the highest exposure to these pesticides had the poorest sperm quality.

Another study of men attending an Argentinean infertility clinic found a link between pesticide exposure and sperm concentration, output and motility less than would be expected. The greater an individual’s exposure to pesticides, the more likely their sperm concentration, output, motility and proportion of morphologically normal sperm would be reduced. Exposure to glycol ether has also been shown to increase the risk of suboptimal sperm production. There are numerous pesticides which have not been studied in relation to male fertility and further research regarding these is necessary.

Testicular trauma can negatively affect spermatogenesis, however scientists do not yet fully understand

Cadmium is a ubiquitous heavy trace metal toxicant and is well known as an industrial pollutant. Exposures to cadmium have been reported to reduce male fertility. Chromium is an important heavy metal which possesses several industrial applications Occupational exposure to chromium leads to alteration of semen status and may adversely affect the reproductive success of exposed workers. Lead is the most significant toxin of the heavy metals. Industrial decisions, such as the addition of lead to paints, dyes, and gasoline, have created an epidemic of lead poisonings. Lead is a naturally occurring substance and can be found in organic and inorganic forms. Lead is a reproductive toxicant detrimental to human semen quality. Decreased sperm count, motility, acid phosphatase, succinic dehydrogenase, fructose, surface reaction of sperm head DNA besides increasing abnormal sperms was reported in occupational exposure of lead in printing press workers in India. Higher lead level lowers sperm’s ability to bind and fertilize the egg. Mercury, widely used in modern technology and industrial revolution, has become an important pollutant for animals and humans. Mercury intoxication has been associated with male reproductive toxicity in experimental animals and mercury may have the potential to produce adverse effects on fertility of men. In a small population in India, it was found