title: Effects of work and life stress on semen quality.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate associations between work-related stress, stressful life events, and perceived stress and semen quality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Northern California.
  
  
  METHODS
  193 men from the Child Health and Development Studies evaluated between 2005-2008.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Measures of stress including job strain, perceived stress, and stressful life events; outcome measures of sperm concentration, percentage of motile sperm, and percentage of morphologically normal sperm.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found an inverse association between perceived stress score and sperm concentration (estimated coefficient b=-0.09×10(3)/mL; 95% confidence interval [CI]=-0.18, -0.01), motility (b=-0.39; 95% CI=-0.79, 0.01), and morphology (b=-0.14; 95% CI, -0.25, -0.04) in covariate-adjusted linear regression analyses. Men who experienced two or more stressful life events in the past year compared with no stressful events had a lower percentage of motile sperm (b=-8.22; 95% CI, -14.31, -2.13) and a lower percentage of morphologically normal sperm (b=-1.66; 95% CI, -3.35, 0.03) but a similar sperm concentration. Job strain was not associated with semen parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this first study to examine all three domains of stress, perceived stress and stressful life events but not work-related stress were associated with semen quality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey. Electronic address: teresa.janevic@rutgers.edu.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Janevic
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Linda G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York, Brooklyn, New York.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Landsbergis
authors.affiliation: Child Health and Development Studies, Center for Research on Women's and Children's Health, Public Health Institute, Berkeley, California.
authors.forename: Piera M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Cirillo
authors.affiliation: Child Health and Development Studies, Center for Research on Women's and Children's Health, Public Health Institute, Berkeley, California.
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Cohn
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Xinhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Pam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Factor-Litvak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D048430:Cell Shape; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000473:pathology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D014937:Work / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Semen quality; stress; work