Testicular Size: The Effects of Aging, Malnutrition, and Illness

Abstract

Paired testicular volumes and weights, as well as age, height, and weight, were recorded from a series of 1056 consecutive necropsies on adult males ranging in age from 18 to 96 years. These data were analyzed to examine the effects of age, nutritional state (standardized body weight), and illness on testicular size. Testicular volume and weight were related by a constant density of 1.038 g/ml, regardless of testicular size, age or illness. Mean testicular volume was correlated with height (r = 0.470), weight (r = 0.504), body surface area (r = 0.549) and standardized body weight (r = 0.152). Advancing age, malnutrition, alcoholism, malignancy, and a chronic, terminal illness were each individual risk factors for reduced testicular size, whereas diabetes, narcotic or other drug usage, and pelvic injury were not associated with reduced testicular volume. Since advancing age, reduced standardized body weight, and some disease states were all associated with diminution of testicular size, the interaction of age, malnutrition, and illness on testicular size were examined by statistical modeling, using multivariate logistic regression and covariance analysis. The associations of alcoholism, malignancy, and chronic, terminal illness with decreased testicular volume were independent of aging or nutritional state. The effects of chronic, terminal illness were mostly explained by the concurrent effects of reductions in standardized body weight (malnutrition). After exclusion of men with diseases shown to be associated with decreased testicular size, he specific effects of age alone demonstrated a reduction in testicular volume only in the 8th decade of life.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Advanced paternal age and reproductive outcome

“…These reported changes develop gradually without a sudden age threshold. Testicular volume decreases only towards the eighth decade 6 and in healthy men, it is 31% lower than in the 18-to 40-year age group. This change is accompanied by alterations in testicular histomorphology observed in older men.…”

“…3 There is a trend of age-related decline in daily sperm production per testis. 6 Semen volume and motility (evaluated both qualitatively and by computer-assisted sperm analysis method), tend to decrease with age. 15,16 In some studies, a paternal age-related decline in semen characteristics was not observed, but this is probably due to relative small numbers of older-aged men in the study population.…”

Paternal age and reproduction

“…Testicular size (which is a rough indicator of spermatogenesis) is not, however, a relevant factor in age groups seeking fertility, as the specific effects of age alone demonstrated a reduction in testicular volume only in the eighth decade of life (Handelsman and Staraj, 1985).…”

Does ethnicity matter in male hormonal contraceptive efficacy?

“…31 Testis weights were not adjusted by weight or height or body surface area which might have accounted for these reported differences in testis volume. 32 Chinese and Caucasian men have less seminiferous tubular volume compared to Latino men; however, the length of seminiferous tubules per gram of parenchyma was greater in Chinese men than Latino or non-Latino Caucasian men. The volume per man of pachytene primary spermatocytes or spermatids nuclei was the lowest in Chinese men as well as the number of Sertoli cell per man; but the number of Sertoli cells per gram of parenchyma was lower in Latino men with no significant difference between Chinese or Caucasian men.…”