TY - JOUR
T1 - Psychological stress and testicular function
T2 - a cross-sectional study of 1,215 Danish men
AU - Nordkap, Loa
AU - Jensen, Tina Kold
AU - Hansen, Åse Marie
AU - Lassen, Tina Harmer
AU - Bang, Anne Kirstine
AU - Joensen, Ulla Nordström
AU - Jensen, Martin Blomberg
AU - Skakkebæk, Niels Erik
AU - Jørgensen, Niels
N1 - Copyright © 2016 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2016/1
Y1 - 2016/1
N2 - OBJECTIVE: To study the associations between self-reported psychological stress, semen quality, and serum reproductive hormones among young Danish men.DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.SETTING: University hospital-based research center.PARTICIPANT(S): Danish men (median age 19 years) from the general population were investigated from 2008 to 2012.INTERVENTION(S): Participants completed a questionnaire on health and lifestyle, including a four-item questionnaire about self-rated stress, had a physical examination performed, delivered a semen sample, and had a blood sample drawn.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Semen parameters (semen volume, sperm concentration, and percentages of motile and morphologically normal spermatozoa) and serum levels of reproductive hormones (LH, FSH, T, calculated free T, sex hormone-binding globulin, and inhibin B).RESULT(S): Poorer semen quality was detected among men with self-reported stress scores above an intermediate stress level, in a dose-response manner. For example, men with the highest stress levels had 38% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3%; 61%) lower sperm concentration, 34% (95% CI 59%; 106%) lower total sperm count, and 15% (95% CI 1%; 27%) lower semen volume than men with intermediate stress levels. No significant associations between self-reported stress and levels of reproductive hormones were detected.CONCLUSION(S): A negative association between self-reported stress and semen quality was detected. If causal, stress may be a contributing factor for suboptimal semen quality among otherwise healthy men.
AB - OBJECTIVE: To study the associations between self-reported psychological stress, semen quality, and serum reproductive hormones among young Danish men.DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.SETTING: University hospital-based research center.PARTICIPANT(S): Danish men (median age 19 years) from the general population were investigated from 2008 to 2012.INTERVENTION(S): Participants completed a questionnaire on health and lifestyle, including a four-item questionnaire about self-rated stress, had a physical examination performed, delivered a semen sample, and had a blood sample drawn.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Semen parameters (semen volume, sperm concentration, and percentages of motile and morphologically normal spermatozoa) and serum levels of reproductive hormones (LH, FSH, T, calculated free T, sex hormone-binding globulin, and inhibin B).RESULT(S): Poorer semen quality was detected among men with self-reported stress scores above an intermediate stress level, in a dose-response manner. For example, men with the highest stress levels had 38% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3%; 61%) lower sperm concentration, 34% (95% CI 59%; 106%) lower total sperm count, and 15% (95% CI 1%; 27%) lower semen volume than men with intermediate stress levels. No significant associations between self-reported stress and levels of reproductive hormones were detected.CONCLUSION(S): A negative association between self-reported stress and semen quality was detected. If causal, stress may be a contributing factor for suboptimal semen quality among otherwise healthy men.
U2 - 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2015.09.016
DO - 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2015.09.016
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 26477499
SN - 1546-2501
SN - 1556-5653
VL - 105
SP - 174-187.e2
JO - Fertility and Sterility
JF - Fertility and Sterility
IS - 1
ER -