An international coalition of experts has made 10 recommendations to increase men's chances of experiencing the joy of fatherhood and having healthy children. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, one out of every six couples of childbearing age currently suffers from infertility. About half of all infertility cases are caused by men. As male infertility is on the rise globally, researcher Sarah Kimmins and 25 international experts stress that men have the right to meaningful diagnosis and targeted treatment, services that are currently inaccessible in most cases.
A lack of understanding of the causes of male infertility, combined with limited clinical tools, results in male infertility being treated with women - often invasive procedures that are cumbersome and dangerous.
A team of 25 scientists, led by Moira O'Bryan, dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne, published a consensus report in the journal Nature Reviews Urology revealing 10 recommendations that could improve the health of men and their children and reduce the burden on their female partners.
Sarah Kimmins, a professor at the University of Montreal and a researcher at the CHUM Research Center (CRCHUM), is the first author of the report and the world's leading expert on male fertility and the interaction of genes and the environment.
Lifestyle and environment play a key role
Sarah Kimmings said: "The rapid decline in male fertility cannot be explained by genetics, and research shows environmental factors are a driving force. These factors include our increasing exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals that are present in our daily lives and persist in the environment. Other factors include the rise in overweight and obese men, poor diet, stress, cannabis use, alcohol abuse, smoking or vaping. Unfortunately, men are often unaware of these factors."
One of the report's key recommendations is to raise public awareness through public health campaigns about these lifestyle choices that harm male fertility.
"Because sperm production takes several months, men should consider adopting a healthy lifestyle before planning a family," said study co-author Dr. Jacquetta Trusler, a senior scientist at the McGill University Health Center Research Institute, along with study co-author Géraldine Delbès, a researcher at the National Institute of Science and Technology. "Clinics are poorly equipped to correctly diagnose and treat male reproduction. Current methods are based on outdated technology."
Currently, male infertility can be determined based on family history, a physical exam, a hormonal profile and a simple semen analysis that has not changed in more than 50 years.
"As medical professionals, we need more research funding to provide men with sensitive and accurate sperm health tests," Dr. Trussler said.
To achieve this goal, Sarah Kimmins and her team have invested years of research to develop a better way to diagnose male fertility.
Aptly named "HisTurn," it will be the first genomic diagnostic to provide a personalized medical approach to male infertility.
Currently, HisTurn is undergoing clinical validation, and the goal is to eventually be used in infertility clinics to provide men with accurate diagnoses, better guide treatment, save time and money for couples and clinics, while improving the efficiency and success rate of infertility treatments.
"Reduced semen quality and increased rates of testicular cancer and genitourinary congenital defects indicate a global decline in male reproductive health in recent decades. Research is needed to understand why and how to reverse this trend." Moira O'Bryan said: "Urgent global action to implement our recommendations is crucial."
The 10 suggestions are as follows:
Governments, healthcare systems, insurance companies and the public should understand and acknowledge that male infertility is a common and serious condition and patients have the right to receive meaningful diagnosis and targeted treatment;
Establish a global network of registries and biobanks containing standardized clinical and lifestyle information and organization of fertile and infertile men, their partners and children. connecting it to national healthcare data systems;
Implement protocols and incentives to standardize the collection of de-identified tissue and clinical/lifestyle data;
Fund more collaborative international research to understand the interaction and impact of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors on male fertility in different populations;
Integrating genomic sequencing into the diagnosis of male infertility;
Develop more diagnostic tests to improve the diagnosis and causes of male infertility.
Rigorous testing of compounds in products, workplaces, and the environment (particularly endocrine-disrupting chemicals) for their effects on male fertility. Implement relevant regulations and policies and develop safe alternatives;
Rigorous testing of medically assisted reproductive strategies before they are incorporated into clinical practice;
Conduct public education campaigns to promote discussion of male infertility and participation in health seeking;
Strengthen the training of medical staff to promote male reproductive health throughout their lives.