HEAT/NOISE/FERTILITY
Men who work in jobs which expose them to high heat levels have
been shown to have reduced fertility, as well as an increased
incidence of sperm abnormalities. Women who work in high noise
areas have a significantly increased risk of infertility. (Journal
of the American Medical Association 253(18) 2643-2644, May 10,
1985) Copyright Phylis Austin
INFERTILITY/INTRAUTERINE DEVICE
Women who use intrauterine devices (IUDs) to prevent pregnancy may
be rendered permanently sterile according to a Washington State
study. The Dalkon Shield was associated with the greatest
possibility of infertility, but all IUDs apparently have the
potential to produce infertility. (New England Journal of Medicine
312:937-941, April 11, 1985) Copyright Phylis Austin
DECONGESTANTS/INFERTILITY
Decongestants, taken for allergies, colds, sinusitis, and nasal
stuffiness due to various causes may reduce cervical mucus
production to a degree that it causes women to be unable to become
pregnant. (The Female Patient 10:79, June, 1985) Copyright Phylis Austin
VASECTOMY
More than 500,000 vasectomies are performed each year in the United
States, and it has been estimated that since 1969 more than 15
million men have undergone this procedure. Some men suffer pain
for many years following the procedure. It is such a common
occurrence that it has been given the name "postvasectomy pain
syndrome." This Canadian study points out that sperm production
continues after vasectomy and the sperm may produce pressure which
causes epididymis or ductus deferens rupture. The sperm may escape
the normal tract and induce the formation of granulomas or sperm
antibodies. Other complications of vasectomy include hematoma of
the scrotum, epididymitis, and wound infection. Vasectomy may
reduce prostate function. Monkeys have been shown to develop more
extensive atherosclerotic changes after vasectomy. (Canadian
Medical Association Journal 138:223-225, February 1, 1988) Copyright Phylis Austin
JOCKEY SHORTS/INFERTILITY
Wearing tight, jockey-style underwear may produce a significant
decrease in male sperm according to a Boston, Mass report. It is
known that increasing scrotal temperature inhibits sperm
production, and it is felt that the snugly fitting underwear may
produce a temperature increase. Volunteers in this study wore
jockey shorts for three months and loose-fitting boxer shorts for
three months, with regular sperm counts during each period. Sperm
counts were about 12 million higher per ml. of sperm with the boxer
shorts. (Medical Tribune 29(19)17, July 14, 1988) Copyright Phylis Austin
CAFFEINE/INFERTILITY
A study of over 100 women who were having difficulty becoming pregnant revealed
that the use of more than one cup of coffee per day decreased the possibility of
pregnancy by half. Caffeine has been known to interfere with insect reproduction,
but its effects on human reproduction have not been studied until recently. (The
Lancet 2:1453-1456, December 24/31, 1988) Copyright Phylis Austin
VASECTOMY/PROSTATE CANCER
Vasectomy may triple a man's risk of prostate cancer, according to
a report presented at the latest Society for Epidemiologic Research
meeting. (Medical Tribune 30(22)22, August 17, 1989) Although
other studies have shown no relationship a study reported in the
British Journal of Cancer last year also reported an increased risk
of prostate cancer in vasectomized men. Copyright Phylis Austin
WELDING/FERTILITY
Welders have been shown to have reduced fertility rates. It is
felt that exposure to the welding fumes decreases sperm quality.
(British Journal of Industrial Medicine 47:508-14, 1990) Copyright Phylis Austin
VASECTOMY
The long-term health effects of vasectomy continue to be discussed
and evaluated. A recent study suggests that vasectomy might cause
the more rapid growth of testicular tumors. A study of 3,000 men
in Scotland who had undergone vasectomy revealed that eight of them
developed testicular cancer following vasectomy; 1.9 men in a group
this size would normally be expected to develop testicular cancer.
Studies in laboratory animals reveal that vasectomy causes a number
of unwanted changes in the male reproductive system. (British
Medical Journal 301:618, 619, September 29, 1990) Copyright Phylis Austin
EATING DISORDERS/INFERTILITY
Women with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia
nervosa, may suffer infertility. (American Journal of Obstetrics
and Gynecology 163:1196-9, 1990) Anyone undergoing evaluation for
infertility should consider this possibility before expensive tests
are undertaken. Copyright Phylis Austin
ANTIBIOTICS/MALE FERTILITY
Antibiotics have been shown to have an adverse effect on sperm
function and sperm production. A male factor is responsible for
about half of the cases in couples evaluated for primary
infertility. Antibiotic use should be considered in the evaluation
of infertility. (Fertility and Sterility 55(2)235-242, February,
1991) Copyright Phylis Austin
SMOKING/INFERTILITY
Couples who are trying to conceive a baby should not smoke, as
nicotine damages the male sperm. Smoking couples are at increased
risk of miscarriage. A study from a New York fertilization clinic
indicated that if the male, or both partners smoked, they had a 64
percent chance of miscarriage. (Medical Tribune 32(23)1, November
14, 1991) Copyright Phylis Austin
MEDICATIONS/INFERTILITY
Women who have used thyroid preparations or antidepressants are at
increased risk of being unable to conceive. Tranquilizers also
decreased fertility. The use of asthma medications before 21 years
of age increased the risk of infertility in this study.
(Epidemiology 4(2)151-156, March 1993) Copyright Phylis Austin
STRESS/INFERTILITY
Approximately fifteen percent of couples are infertile, and about
half of all conceptions abort for reasons that are not yet clear.
A recent study showed that psychosocial stress in some women
contributes significantly to infertility. (Fertility and Sterility
59(3)685-689, March 1993) Copyright Phylis Austin
ASPIRIN/INFERTILITY
Aspirin reduces sperm activity in men, making it less likely that
they will become fathers. A study from Columbia Hospital for Women
and the Children's National Medical Center in Washington reveals
that even the standard dose of aspirin significantly reduces sperm
motility. (American Health, January-February 1993) Copyright Phylis Austin
OVARIAN CANCER/FERTILITY DRUGS
The use of fertility drugs may increase the risk of ovarian cancer
according to a recent study from the National Institutes of Health.
White women in the study who had taken fertility drugs had three
times the risk of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer and four times
the risk of borderline ovarian tumors. (Fertility and Sterility
59(2)291-293, February 1993) Copyright Phylis Austin
CAFFEINATED BEVERAGES/INFERTILITY/TUBAL
DISEASE/ENDOMETRIOSIS
Earlier studies have shown an association between caffeine use and
delayed conception. A study of over 1,000 women who suffered from
infertility and nearly 4,000 women who had recently given birth,
suggested that women with high caffeine intake were at greater risk
of infertility from endometriosis or tubal disease. (American
Journal of Epidemiology 137(12)1353-1360, 1993) Copyright Phylis Austin
CAFFEINE/INFERTILITY
Caffeine use may make it more difficult for a woman to become
pregnant. (American Journal of Epidemiology 138(12)1082-1092,
December 1993) Copyright Phylis Austin
MILK/FERTILITY
Milk drinking women who are unable to properly digest lactose are
likely to be less fertile as they age. Previous studies have
suggested that milk may adversely affect the ovaries, apparently
due to galactose, a sugar produced when milk sugar (lactose) is
broken down in the body. (American Journal of Epidemiology
139(3)282-289, March 1994) Copyright Phylis Austin
TESTICULAR INJURY/MALE INFERTILITY
Adolescent boys who participate in contact sports without the use
of protective devices may suffer injury resulting in permanent
damage to their testes. This may be sufficient to cause
infertility later in life. (Fertility and Sterility 62:143-9, 1994) Copyright Phylis Austin
CONDOMS/FEMALE INFERTILITY/OVARIAN CANCER
Some now fear that the male condom may make women infertile. Talc,
used on condom surfaces as a lubricant, may cause fibrosis on the
woman's fallopian tubes, rendering her infertile. Talc is known to
cause ovarian cancer. (What Doctors Don't Tell You 6(2)4, June
1995; Journal of the American Medical Association 273(11)846-847,
March 15, 1995) Copyright Phylis Austin
NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS/INFERTILITY
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may cause infertility in women. (British Journal of
Rheumatology 35:76-78, 1996) Copyright Phylis Austin
VASECTOMY/OSTEOPOROSIS
Researchers from the Rheumatology Research United of the Pontypridd & District
Hospital in Wales, U.K., report that there may be an increased risk of osteoporosis in men
who have underdone vasectomy. (British Journal of Rheumatology 34(Suppl 2)42, 1995) Copyright Phylis Austin
LEAD EXPOSURE/MALE FERTILITY
Men who are occupationally exposed to iron have reduced fertility
reports the Division of Occupational Health and Environmental
Epidemiology of the New York State Department of Health. Animal
studies have demonstrated infertility, reduced sperm mobility,
higher levels of abnormal sperm, and damage to the germinal
epithelium in lead-exposed animals. A study of over 4,000 men
indicates that these findings carry over into humans.
The male is felt to be the responsible partner in about 40 percent
of infertile couples. (Annals of Epidemiology 6:201-208, 1996) Copyright Phylis Austin
MALE INFERTILITY/HEAT EXPOSURE
Elevated scrotal temperatures reduce sperm production,
decreasing a man's ability to father a child. A study from France
reported that men whose job required them to remain seated for more
than three hours a day, men whose jobs required them to spend long
hours in motor vehicles, or men who were otherwise exposed to high
temperatures during their work day were less likely to father
children. (The Lancet 347:204-205, January 20, 1996) Copyright Phylis Austin
AGRICULTURAL WORK/INFERTILITY
Men who are employed in agriculture have been known for some
time to be at increased risk of infertility, but a recent study
from Iowa reveals that women who live on a farm are at a
significantly increased risk of having ovulatory or tubal
infertility. While the cause of this infertility is unclear, the
researchers suspect that pesticides may play a role. (American
Journal of Industrial Medicine 31:445-451, 1997) Copyright Phylis Austin