Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and semen quality in the male offspring: two decades of follow-up

BACKGROUND Concurrent alcohol exposure has been associated with reduced fecundity, but no studies have estimated the effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on male fecundity. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy, semen quality an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human reproduction (Oxford) 2010-09, Vol.25 (9), p.2340-2345
Main Authors: Ramlau-Hansen, C.H., Toft, G., Jensen, M.S., Strandberg-Larsen, K., Hansen, M.L., Olsen, J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
alcohol
Alcohol Drinking - adverse effects
Biological and medical sciences
Cohort Studies
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics
Humans
Infertility, Male - blood
Infertility, Male - epidemiology
Male
Medical sciences
Pregnancy
prenatal exposure
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
reproductive hormones
risk factor
Risk Factors
Self Report
Semen Analysis
Sperm Count
Spermatozoa - drug effects
Testosterone - blood
Young Adult
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Summary:BACKGROUND Concurrent alcohol exposure has been associated with reduced fecundity, but no studies have estimated the effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on male fecundity. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy, semen quality and levels of reproductive hormones in young, adult men. METHODS From a Danish pregnancy cohort established in 1984–1987, 347 sons were selected for a follow-up study conducted in 2005–2006. Semen and blood samples were analyzed for conventional semen characteristics and reproductive hormones, respectively, and results were related to prospectively self-reported information on maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. RESULTS The sperm concentration decreased with increasing prenatal alcohol exposure. The adjusted mean sperm concentration among sons of mothers drinking ≥4.5 drinks per week during pregnancy was 40 (95% CI: 25–60) millions/ml. This concentration was ∼32% lower compared with men exposed to
ISSN:0268-1161
1460-2350
DOI:10.1093/humrep/deq140