Low sperm count, undescended testicle, crack at the bottom of the urethra, and more. Is the source of the significant increase in damage to the sexual systems among men environmental pollution?
By Dr. Daniel Mader, Angle, Science and Environment News Agency
The sperm count in men is found in a downward trend. This is not a new phenomenon, but a trend that has been going on for some time decades. In addition, doctors warn of an increase in the incidence of male babies being born with defects in their reproductive system. An example of such a defect is failure of the testicles to descend from the abdomen into the scrotum (cryptorchidism). Another example is a situation in which the opening of the urethra (the end of the tube that conducts urine from the kidneys to the outside of the body) is not located at the end of the penis, but at the bottom of the penis, sometimes at the base of the penis (cleft of the bottom of the urethra - hypospadias). In rare cases there is no opening at all.
About three percent of baby boys are born with an undescended testicle, but for most of them the situation resolves itself by the age of six months. In about one percent of the male population (one in 100), the testicles do not descend at all, and it is necessary to correct the situation surgically. Without surgery, there is an increased risk of infertility, testicular cancer and other health problems.
About 0.3-0.4 percent of baby boys (one in every 250-300), are born with a lower urethral fissure. This situation may require boys to urinate while sitting and may mentally harm children who cannot urinate like their friends. In addition, this condition increases the risk of not being able to achieve fertilization through sexual intercourse, and even the inability to have sexual intercourse at all (when this condition is followed by an extreme bending of the penis). This condition can be corrected with surgery, but not in all cases.
Many experts believe that The increase in the incidence of these and other problems She is a symptom of a much broader and deeper problem: hormonal problems that make men more like women. That is, a process "Feminization" of men.
All embryos begin their embryonic life in the configuration of females. Later in the pregnancy, a hormonal program is activated in the male embryos that changes the existing basic female configuration to a male configuration. It is known that male hormonal communication is defective during the development of the reproductive system in the fetus Prevents normal turning of the fetus From female configuration to male configuration and can cause poor development of this system, and birth defects.
Defective hormonal communication can result from a lack of male sex hormones (such as testosterone), or from insensitivity to male sex hormones (in such a situation, the hormones are present, but there are not enough receptors to receive them, or the receptors do not function properly).
there is Studies that show a relationship between an increase in the incidence of birth defects in children and exposure to synthetic substances that disrupt hormonal activity, Such as phthalates, and bisphenol A which are found in most of the plastic utensils around us. We absorb these substances when we make use of these plastic products. Animal studies have shown that some of these substances can indeed cause birth defects in the sexual system. Other researchers think that it may be changes in lifestyle - for example, increased smoking among young women (or exposure to secondhand smoke) - that affect fetal development during pregnancy. Another possible reason for the increase in the incidence of this type of malformations is an increase in the consumption of oil and fat in recent decades - hormones are absorbed in oil and fat more than in any other substance. Therefore, their increased consumption potentially increases the consumption of hormones, even if there is no increase in the absorption of synthetic substances that disrupt hormonal activity.
It is understood that there may be a situation where several factors work together and cause the "feminization" of males. In the case of humans, researchers are still cautious about the phenomenon of feminization of males, but among many animals Studies have already proven that this phenomenon indeed exists.
