Will male semen quality improve with environmental quality?

Wenzhou has improved its environmental quality because of comprehensive environmental remediation; nevertheless, the semen quality of infertile males remains unclear. This study determined whether better environmental quality improved semen quality in this region. We recorded semen quality data from 22 962 infertile males from January 2014 to November 2019 at the Center for Reproductive Health of The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University (Wenzhou, China). Patients were predominantly 30-35 years old (33.1%) and workers (82.0%), with high school education or lower (77.6%); more than a half of the patients (52.6%) were Wenzhou household registration; and most patients (77.5%) had abnormal semen quality. Patients who were older than 40 years and workers, and those with Wenzhou household registration, had significantly worse semen quality (all P < 0.05). From 2014 to 2019, progressive sperm motility, total sperm motility, and semen volume showed increasing linear trends in all patients (P = 0.021, 0.030, and 0.005, respectively), yet normal sperm morphology showed a linearly decreasing trend (P = 0.046). Sensitivity analyses for subgroups yielded similar results. In conclusion, the improvement of environmental quality and better function of the accessory glands are associated with progressive sperm motility, total sperm motility, and semen volume. Normal sperm morphology is influenced by occupational exposures and personal lifestyle and does not improve with environmental quality.

[PM2.5 exposure-caused damage to male reproductive function: Progress in research].

Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) is considered to be a major harmful constitutent of air pollution. Animal experiments and epidemiological studies at home and abroad have shown that exposure to PM2.5 causes damage to male reproductive function in addition to direct impacts on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. This review summarizes the results of animal experiments at home and abroad and population epidemiological investigations relating PM2.5-induced damage to male reproductive function as well as the mechanisms of PM2.5 causing the damage.

[Impacts of Bisphenol A exposure on spermatogenesis in men: Advances in studies].

Bisphenol A (BPA), a common endocrine disrupting chemical, is becoming a focus of studies and receiving increasing attention. Because of its wide use in food packaging materials, receipt paper, dental sealant and other products, people contact it through the skin, respiratory tract, digestive system and other routes. A large number of studies at home and abroad have shown that BPA exposure can adversely affect male reproductive function, including semen quality, spermatogenesis, sperm epigenetic inheritance, etc. Its action mechanisms, however, remain unclear and require more studies. This review focuses on the impacts of BPA exposure on spermatogenesis in males.