alex_ant
Nov 11, 2002, 06:31 PM
Spermatically speaking, Minneapolis men beat their country cousins
Tom Meersman
Star Tribune
Published Nov. 12, 2002
SPER12
Sperm quality of rural Missouri men is worse than that of urban males in Minneapolis, Los Angeles and New York City, according to a study published Monday in a science journal.
The study, on which a University of Minnesota researcher collaborated, raises questions about whether sperm quality is compromised in males who live near agricultural areas with high pesticide use.
The study is the first in the United States to use standardized methods to compare semen from different geographical areas. Researchers analyzed samples taken from 512 male partners of pregnant women in the four areas between September 1999 and November 2001.
They found that while the volume of semen was similar, its quality was higher from men in cities. Sperm concentrations from Minneapolis men were 67 percent higher than those from Missouri, for example, and sperm motility or movement was 77 percent higher. Sperm concentrations from Los Angeles and New York were 38 and 75 percent higher than those from the Missouri area.
Dr. Bruce Redmon, an associate professor of medicine at the university, said the differences among the geographic areas were unexpected, and "raise concerns that environmental or other factors may be adversely affecting male fertility." He said that urine collected as part of the study also will be checked for pesticides, and compared with the sperm results.
The study was published in the online edition of Environmental Health Perspectives, a monthly journal. Researchers at University of Missouri-Columbia led the study.
Redmon said that sperm quality of rural Minnesota men has not been studied, but could be in the future if additional funds become available.
Recent studies by the United States Geological Survey showed widespread occurrences of pesticides in streams and shallow ground water in rural areas of the Midwest, including Minnesota.
A different University of Minnesota researcher, Vincent Garry, earlier found higher-than-normal levels of birth defects in children of farmers who have used pesticides in five northwestern Minnesota counties.
Tom Meersman
Star Tribune
Published Nov. 12, 2002
SPER12
Sperm quality of rural Missouri men is worse than that of urban males in Minneapolis, Los Angeles and New York City, according to a study published Monday in a science journal.
The study, on which a University of Minnesota researcher collaborated, raises questions about whether sperm quality is compromised in males who live near agricultural areas with high pesticide use.
The study is the first in the United States to use standardized methods to compare semen from different geographical areas. Researchers analyzed samples taken from 512 male partners of pregnant women in the four areas between September 1999 and November 2001.
They found that while the volume of semen was similar, its quality was higher from men in cities. Sperm concentrations from Minneapolis men were 67 percent higher than those from Missouri, for example, and sperm motility or movement was 77 percent higher. Sperm concentrations from Los Angeles and New York were 38 and 75 percent higher than those from the Missouri area.
Dr. Bruce Redmon, an associate professor of medicine at the university, said the differences among the geographic areas were unexpected, and "raise concerns that environmental or other factors may be adversely affecting male fertility." He said that urine collected as part of the study also will be checked for pesticides, and compared with the sperm results.
The study was published in the online edition of Environmental Health Perspectives, a monthly journal. Researchers at University of Missouri-Columbia led the study.
Redmon said that sperm quality of rural Minnesota men has not been studied, but could be in the future if additional funds become available.
Recent studies by the United States Geological Survey showed widespread occurrences of pesticides in streams and shallow ground water in rural areas of the Midwest, including Minnesota.
A different University of Minnesota researcher, Vincent Garry, earlier found higher-than-normal levels of birth defects in children of farmers who have used pesticides in five northwestern Minnesota counties.
