Serum testosterone levels in three-month-old boys predict their semen quality as young adults
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Serum testosterone levels in three-month-old boys predict their semen quality as young adults. / Scheutz Henriksen, Louise; Petersen, Jørgen Holm; Skakkebæk, Niels E; Jørgensen, Niels; Virtanen, Helena E; Priskorn, Lærke; Juul, Anders; Toppari, Jorma; Main, Katharina M.
In: The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, Vol. 107, No. 7, 2022, p. 1965–1975.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Serum testosterone levels in three-month-old boys predict their semen quality as young adults
AU - Scheutz Henriksen, Louise
AU - Petersen, Jørgen Holm
AU - Skakkebæk, Niels E
AU - Jørgensen, Niels
AU - Virtanen, Helena E
AU - Priskorn, Lærke
AU - Juul, Anders
AU - Toppari, Jorma
AU - Main, Katharina M
N1 - © The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - CONTEXT: It remains unknown how the postnatal activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in infancy, also known as 'minipuberty', relates to adult testis function.OBJECTIVE: To investigate how markers of reproductive function in three-month-old boys correlate with adult reproductive health parameters.DESIGN: Population-based birth cohort study (the Copenhagen Mother-Child cohort).SETTING: Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.PARTICIPANTS: 259 boys examined once around three months of age and again at 18-20 years.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Reproductive hormones, penile length, testis volume, and semen quality. Minipubertal markers of testis function (by tertiles, T1-T3) were explored as predictors of adult semen quality using linear regression models. Associations between reproductive outcomes in infancy and young adulthood were estimated by intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs), describing how well measurements in infancy correlate with those in adulthood.RESULTS: Serum testosterone concentration in infancy was positively associated with adult total sperm count. Median (IQR) total sperm count was 84 (54-138) million spermatozoa for boys in T1, 141 (81-286) million spermatozoa in T2, and 193 (56-287) million spermatozoa in T3. We found the highest ICC for FSH (0.41, 95% CI 0.26-0.57), while ICCs for inhibin B, SHBG, penile length, and testis volume ranged between 0.24 and 0.27. ICCs for LH, total and free testosterone were lower and statistically non-significant.CONCLUSIONS: Serum testosterone in infancy was a predictor of adult total sperm count. Other reproductive hormones and genital measures showed good correlation between infancy and adulthood, suggesting that an individual's reproductive setpoint starts shortly after birth in boys and persists until adulthood.
AB - CONTEXT: It remains unknown how the postnatal activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in infancy, also known as 'minipuberty', relates to adult testis function.OBJECTIVE: To investigate how markers of reproductive function in three-month-old boys correlate with adult reproductive health parameters.DESIGN: Population-based birth cohort study (the Copenhagen Mother-Child cohort).SETTING: Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.PARTICIPANTS: 259 boys examined once around three months of age and again at 18-20 years.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Reproductive hormones, penile length, testis volume, and semen quality. Minipubertal markers of testis function (by tertiles, T1-T3) were explored as predictors of adult semen quality using linear regression models. Associations between reproductive outcomes in infancy and young adulthood were estimated by intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs), describing how well measurements in infancy correlate with those in adulthood.RESULTS: Serum testosterone concentration in infancy was positively associated with adult total sperm count. Median (IQR) total sperm count was 84 (54-138) million spermatozoa for boys in T1, 141 (81-286) million spermatozoa in T2, and 193 (56-287) million spermatozoa in T3. We found the highest ICC for FSH (0.41, 95% CI 0.26-0.57), while ICCs for inhibin B, SHBG, penile length, and testis volume ranged between 0.24 and 0.27. ICCs for LH, total and free testosterone were lower and statistically non-significant.CONCLUSIONS: Serum testosterone in infancy was a predictor of adult total sperm count. Other reproductive hormones and genital measures showed good correlation between infancy and adulthood, suggesting that an individual's reproductive setpoint starts shortly after birth in boys and persists until adulthood.
U2 - 10.1210/clinem/dgac173
DO - 10.1210/clinem/dgac173
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 35323957
VL - 107
SP - 1965
EP - 1975
JO - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
JF - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
SN - 0021-972X
IS - 7
ER -
ID: 305677152