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Environmental Pollution and Infertility

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Clinical Management of Male Infertility

Abstract

A decline in sperm counts that has emerged over the years has led to the argument that male fertility is declining, and it is also proposed that environmental pollutants may play a role in such a decline. It has been hypothesized that environmental chemicals with estrogenic properties constitute detrimental factors for sperm count. Endocrine disruptors affect the male genital tract during fetal testis and germinal cell development (testicular dysgenesis syndrome), targeting pituitary gonadotropins or the genetic regulation of steroidogenesis at either the genomic or proteomic levels. The critical window of exposure is the perinatal period. Pesticides, fungicides, heavy metals, defoliants, and other chemical weapons, in addition to oils and cleaning agents, are regarded as the main environmental pollutants capable of disrupting human spermatogenesis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Andrological Section, Gynepro-Medical Team, via Tranquillo Cremona 8, 40137, Bologna, Italy

    Giorgio Cavallini

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  1. Giorgio Cavallini
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Correspondence to Giorgio Cavallini .

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  1. Andrological Unit, Gynepro Medical Team, Bologna, Italy

    Giorgio Cavallini

  2. Andrological and Reproductive Medicine Unit, Centro Demetra, Firenze, Italy

    Giovanni Beretta

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Cavallini, G. (2015). Environmental Pollution and Infertility. In: Cavallini, G., Beretta, G. (eds) Clinical Management of Male Infertility. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08503-6_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08503-6_17

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