The relationship between anogenital distance and age

Eisenberg, Michael L.; Hsieh, Tung-Chin; Lipshultz, Larry I.

doi:10.1111/j.2047-2927.2012.00019.x

Cited by 31 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Basically, AGD has been shown to reflect the amount of androgens to which a fetus is exposed in early development; higher in utero androgen exposure results in longer and more masculine AGD. In males, AGD has been found to have similar values in people of different age groups, suggesting that AGD may provide a measure of genital development and function throughout human adult life …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Longer anogenital distance is associated with higher testosterone levels in women: a cross‐sectional study

Mira-Escolano

Mendiola

Mínguez-Alarcón

et al. 2014

BJOG

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Objective Animal models have suggested that anogenital distance (AGD) at birth reflects androgen levels during in utero development and predicts adult AGD. A recent study showed an association between perineal length and androgen levels in men, suggesting that serum testosterone levels in adulthood will depend on factors involved during the fetal period. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between AGD measures and reproductive hormone levels in women.Design Cross-sectional study conducted between February and November 2011.Setting University-affiliated fertility clinics.Population 100 young college students.Methods Physical and gynaecological examinations were conducted on university students. All participants provided a blood sample for determination of reproductive hormones and completed an epidemiological questionnaire on lifestyles and gynaecological history. We used multiple linear regression analysis to examine the associations between perineal length measurements [anus-fourchette (AGD AF ) and anus-clitoris (AGD AC )] and reproductive hormone levels.Main outcome measures Anogenital distance measurements and reproductive hormone levels.Results In the multiple linear regression analyses, AGD AF was positively associated with serum testosterone levels. Serum testosterone increased 0.06 ng/ml (95%CI 0.01, 0.10; P = 0.02) for each 1-cm increase in AGD AF . None of the measurements was associated with other reproductive hormones.Conclusions Anogenital distance may predict normal reproductive development in women, and may be a new tool of potential clinical interest to evaluate ovarian function. Our results suggest that serum testosterone levels in adulthood may depend on factors operating in the prenatal period.Keywords Androgens, anogenital distance, prenatal exposure, women.Please cite this paper as: Mira-Escolano MP, Mendiola J, M ınguez-Alarc on L, Melgarejo M, Cutillas-Tol ın A, Roca M, L opez-Esp ın JJ, Noguera-Velasco JA, Torres-Cantero AM. Longer anogenital distance is associated with higher testosterone levels in women: a cross-sectional study.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Longer anogenital distance is associated with higher testosterone levels in women: a cross‐sectional study

Mira-Escolano

Mendiola

Mínguez-Alarcón

et al. 2014

BJOG

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“…testosterone therapy). [11,24] However, newer reports does suggest some plasticity to AGD in adult life thus questioning this theoretical benefit. [25] It is uncertain why AGD is correlated with certain semen parameters (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…[8][9][10] As AGD seems to be constant across a man's adult life, the clinical utility of AGD has been suggested in studies of infertile men. [11] AGD is shorter in men with spermatogenic failure compared to genital duct obstruction in men presenting with azoospermia. [12] In addition, a retrospective examination of men undergoing varicocelectomy demonstrated that men with a longer AGD are more likely to benefit from varicocele repair implying possible clinical utility in patient counseling.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anogenital distance as a measure of human male fertility

Lipshultz

2014

J Assist Reprod Genet

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Purpose In humans, recent studies have correlated anogenital distance (AGD) in adult men to testicular function. While studies of a group of men suggest an association, the utility of AGD in an infertility evaluation remains uncertain. We sought to determine the utility of AGD to predict male fertility. Methods Between 2010 and 2011, men were recruited at a urology clinic to participate. AGD was measured using digital calipers in men being evaluated at a urology clinic. ANOVA and ROC analyses were used to determine correlations between AGD, fatherhood status, and semen parameters. Results In all, 473 men were included in the analysis with a mean age of 43±13 years. Anogenital distance was significantly longer in men with higher sperm concentration, total sperm count, and total motile sperm count. In order to evaluate the discriminating ability of AGD, ROC curves were created comparing AGD and total testis volume. The area under the curve (AUC) was significantly larger for total testis volume compared to AGD when evaluating fertility (0.71 vs 0.63, p= 0.02). Similarly, there was a trend towards a higher AUC for testis volume compared to AGD for sperm concentration and total sperm count. Stratification of men with long/short AGD and large/small testes also did not improve the predictive value of AGD. Conclusions While AGD is associated with sperm production on a population level, at the individual level the distinction based AGD alone cannot accurately estimate the efficiency of spermatogenesis.

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“…In the human, AGD in male newborns is approximately double that of female newborns. This difference remains significant until 24-30 months of life then decreases up to adulthood [9,10,13]. So far, no study has evaluated the contribution of the ultrasound assessment of AGD between 11 and 13 WG + 6 days (corresponding to the time of the first routine ultrasonography during pregnancy) to determine fetal sex.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%