Obesity Linked to Smaller Testes and Possible Infertility
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Boys with obesity have lower testicular volume compared with their normal-weight counterparts, suggesting the potential for fertility problems in adulthood, new data suggest. Testicular volume is a fertility marker directly related to sperm count that has halved in the past 40 years worldwide for unknown reasons. At the same time, childhood obesity has risen dramatically and infertility appears to have risen as well, Rossella Cannarella, MD, of the department of endocrinology and andrology, University of Catania, Italy, said during ENDO 2022: The Endocrine Society Annual Meeting.
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@pauline According to recent Italian studies, between 14% and 23% of young men aged 18-19 had testicular hypotrophy. "Worryingly, we don't know the reason for this hypotrophy. And therefore, they are at risk for future infertility," Cannarella said during a press briefing. Her study, which included a total of 264 male children and adolescents, also linked lower testicular volume to hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. "The testis is not quiescent in childhood and is sensitive to the hormone insulin. Obesity and metabolic impairment actually can have an effect and negative impact on Sertoli cell proliferation," Cannarella said.