Timing of Puberty in Relation to Semen Characteristics, Testicular Volume, and Reproductive Hormones: A Cohort Study
October 2023
in “
Fertility and sterility
”
TLDR Men who went through puberty later had lower sperm counts and altered hormone levels, possibly affecting fertility.
In a cohort study involving 1,058 young Danish men from the Danish National Birth Cohort and the Fetal Programming of Semen Quality cohort, researchers investigated the association between the timing of puberty and various reproductive parameters. The study found that men who reported a later voice break during puberty tended to have a 12% lower total sperm count and a 10% lower percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa, as well as higher levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) by 24%, higher sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) by 7%, lower estradiol by 14%, and lower free androgen index (FAI) by 8%. Conversely, men who experienced an earlier voice break had a 6% lower proportion of non-progressive and immotile spermatozoa and a 7% larger testicular volume, along with higher levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, estradiol, and FAI. The study suggests that an older age at pubertal development may be associated with reduced male fecundity, particularly in terms of reproductive hormone levels, although the associations with semen characteristics and testicular volume were not statistically significant.
