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 suspected to affect human reproduction. Yet in humans, the studies exploring the effect of this BPA on male reproductive health including semen quality, reproductive hormones, and couple fecundity and fertility, have produced inconsistent results. The objective of this manuscript was to summarize the effects of male exposure to BPA on markers of testicular function and couple reproductive outcomes. Of the five studies on male BPA exposure and reproductive hormones, all found significant associations with at least one reproductive hormone; however no consistent relations were observed across studies. Similarly, five studies evaluated the relation between BPA and semen quality and while the majority reported negative associations with various parameters, there were few consistent trends across studies. Finally, the three studies which have examined male urinary BPA levels and couple reproductive outcomes did not find associations, with the exception being a link with lower secondary sex ratio (or greater female excess). Overall, while the literature on this topic is growing, the evidence supporting a link between male BPA exposure and male reproductive health 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 exposure levels (occupationally exposed vs. non-occupationally exposed), study procedures used to collect and measure urinary BPA (e.g. using one urine sample to characterize exposure vs. multiple samples), sample sizes, and study design (e.g. cross-sectional vs. prospective). Based on the available evidence, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that exposure to BPA, at low to moderate levels, has a negative effect on reproductive outcomes in men. Clearly, further studies are needed to further clarify the role of this ubiquitous endocrine disrupting chemical on male reproductive health.

Parallel assessment of the effects of bisphenol A and several of its analogs on the adult human testis

“…To conclude, based on the available epidemiological evidence (Minguez-Alarcon et al, 2016) and the results of this series of experiments, further research is needed to clarify the actual risk of exposure to BPA and BPA-A on male and couple reproductive health.…”

Environmental non-persistent endocrine-disrupting chemicals exposure and reproductive hormones levels in adult men

“…In most of the studies only one urine or various biological fluid samples were used for the exposure assessment purposes. One urine sample as a biomarker of exposure to EDCs may have resulted in substantial measurement error and attenuation of associations [41]. Janjua [15] studies there were no similar associations.…”

Diet and Nutritional Factors in Male (In)Fertility – Underestimated Factors

“…Currently, due to the small number of studies and their large limitations, there is not enough evidence to state that exposure to these substances at low or moderate levels has a negative effect on male fertility. Nevertheless, it seems reasonable to consider their adverse effects on reproductive health as possible [6,39,40].…”