A Long-Term Follow-Up Study of Men Born with Very Low Birth Weight and Their Reproductive Hormone Profile
March 2018
in “
Systems biology in reproductive medicine
”
TLDR Men born very underweight had higher estrogen levels but normal reproduction compared to normal birth weight men.
This long-term follow-up study investigated the reproductive hormone profiles of men born with very low birth weight (VLBW, <1500 g) compared to those born at term, including 26 VLBW men and 19 controls aged 26-28 years. The study found that VLBW men had significantly higher median serum estradiol levels (84.5 pmol/L) than controls (57.5 pmol/L, p=0.008), but no significant differences in other hormone levels or reproductive patterns. Despite the higher estradiol levels, both groups had low normal mean levels with questionable clinical significance, suggesting that being born VLBW did not affect the measured aspects of reproduction. The study highlighted the need for further research on long-term health effects.
