title: Effects of bisphenol A on male and couple reproductive health: a review.
abstract: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a ubiquitous environmental toxicant with endocrine-disrupting properties and is suspected to affect human reproduction. The objective of this review was to summarize the potential effects of male exposure to BPA on markers of testicular function and couple reproductive outcomes. Five epidemiologic studies on BPA and reproductive hormones all found significant associations with at least one reproductive hormone; however, no consistent relationships were observed across studies. Six epidemiologic studies evaluated the relation between BPA and semen parameters, and although the majority reported negative associations with various parameters, there were few consistent trends across studies. Finally, three epidemiologic studies examined BPA and couple reproductive outcomes, and only one found an association. Overall, the evidence supporting an association between BPA exposure and adverse male reproductive health outcomes in humans remains limited and inconclusive. Reasons for the discrepancies in results could include, but are not limited to, differences in study populations (e.g., fertile vs. subfertile men), BPA urinary concentrations (occupationally vs. nonoccupationally exposed), misclassification of BPA exposure (e.g., using one urine sample to characterize exposure vs. multiple samples), sample sizes, study design (e.g., cross-sectional vs. prospective), and residual confounding (e.g., due to diet and lifestyle factors). It is also possible that some of the statistically significant findings were due to chance alone. Clearly, further studies are needed to further clarify the role of this ubiquitous endocrine-disrupting chemical on male reproductive health.
authors: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors: Lidia
authors: L
authors: Mínguez-Alarcón
authors: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Electronic address: rhauser@hsph.harvard.edu.
authors: Russ
authors: R
authors: Hauser
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors: Audrey J
authors: AJ
authors: Gaskins
mesh_terms: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects*; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000378:metabolism; D006062:Gonadotropins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D060728:Reproductive Health; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D006062:Gonadotropins
keywords: Bisphenol A; epidemiology; hormones; male reproductive; semen quality