Anogenital distance and reproductive parameters in young men

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between anogenital distance (AGD) measures and semen quality and serum reproductive hormone levels in Caucasian young men from southern Spain. Two variants of AGD [from the anus to the posterior base of the scrotum (AGD(AS)) and to the cephalad insertion of the penis (AGD(AP))] were assessed in 215 university students. Semen parameters (semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm counts, motility and morphology) and serum reproductive hormones (follicle stimulating hormone, luteinising hormone, inhibin B, testosterone, calculated free testosterone, oestradiol and sex hormone-binding globulin) were also determined. Associations between AGD measures and the semen quality and reproductive hormone levels were tested using multiple regression analyses. Overall, median sperm concentration was 44.0 × 10(6) ml(-1) (5th-95th percentiles: 8.9-129 × 10(6 ) ml(-1)), median total sperm count was 121 × 10(6) (18.0-400 × 10(6)), and mean (SD) testosterone level was 21.7 nmol/l (6.9). Mean (SD) AGD(AS) and AGD(AP) measures were 48.3 mm (11.6) and 128 mm (12.0) respectively. In the multivariable analysis, AGD measures were not associated with any semen parameters or any of the reproductive hormone levels, which is in contrast to results of studies of US young men or infertile men. Further research is warranted to confirm these findings.

Anogenital distance and reproductive outcomes in 9‐ to 11‐year‐old boys: the INMA‐Granada cohort study

“…In the present study, AGD measurements (mean = 38 mm, 25–75th percentile = 30–45 mm) were at the lower end of the range (38–51 mm) described for young and middle‐aged men (≥18 years old) in the USA, Spain, and China (Eisenberg et al ., , ; Mendiola et al ., , ; Eisenberg & Lipshultz, ; Parra et al ., ; Zhou et al ., ). Reports on AGD length in male newborns and children under 3 years of age have ranged from 20 to 37 mm (Salazar‐Martinez et al ., ; Swan et al ., ; Thankamony et al ., ; Jensen et al ., ).…”

“…Only three cross‐sectional studies have investigated the relationship between AGD and male reproductive hormone levels, and their results are contradictory (Eisenberg et al ., 2012a; Parra et al ., ; Zhou et al ., ). Thus, AGD was not associated with total and free testosterone, inhibin B, FSH, LH, estradiol, or sex hormone‐binding globulin levels in Spanish university students (Parra et al ., ), but it was associated with lower estradiol levels and higher testosterone/estradiol ratio in healthy young Chinese men, whose AGD was measured from the cephalad insertion of the penis to the center of the anus (Zhou et al ., ). In the USA, Eisenberg et al .…”

Is anogenital distance associated with semen quality in male partners of subfertile couples?

“…Besides, longer AGD was associated with fatherhood [i.e., history of prior paternity vs. infertile men], higher sperm concentration and total motile sperm count in men attending an Andrology clinic (Eisenberg et al ., ). However, recently, AGD measures were not associated with any semen parameter in young men from Southern Spain (Parra et al ., ).…”

Comparability and reproducibility of adult male anogenital distance measurements for two different methods

“…Recently, a number of studies on adult men have described and characterized AGD (Eisenberg et al, 2011(Eisenberg et al, , 2012aMendiola et al, 2011Mendiola et al, , 2015Parra et al, 2016), and provided evidence of the association between AGD and male reproductive function. The findings of these studies suggest that the in utero androgenic milieu that determines AGD is a potential determinant or predictor of some reproductive conditions in men (Eisenberg et al, 2011(Eisenberg et al, , 2012aMendiola et al, 2011Mendiola et al, , 2015.…”