Prenatal Factors in Male Reproductive Health

最近发现，宫内生活中的一些因素是重要的，以前未被怀疑的决定因素，几十年后的心血管疾病。其机制尚不清楚，但胎盘在维持胎儿营养和激素分泌方面的功能可能很重要。已经发现类似的机制影响人类的女性生殖功能和非生殖激素，但迄今为止尚未研究涉及男性生殖健康的潜在影响。本项目旨在寻找影响睾丸和前列腺发育的产前因素。通过这种方式，产前因素可能是一个重要的决定易感性的男性不育症，降低精子输出，雄激素缺乏症由于睾丸睾酮分泌减少和前列腺疾病，特别是前列腺增生。在这项研究中，我们将采用我们自己的专业技术，使用高频超声高度准确地测量前列腺区和睾丸的大小。我们将确定一个出生队列-一组1970年左右在一家医院出生的男性-我们将通过超声测量前列腺区和睾丸大小以及与睾丸和前列腺相关的激素标记物，以检查根据出生体重观察到的任何变化是否是由于激素的一致变化。这项研究可能会改变男性生殖健康疾病的方式，重点关注出生前和出生后不久发生的因素，而不是近几十年来一直是研究的压倒性焦点的成人生活中的遗传或环境因素。

It has been recently found that some factors during intrauterine life are important and previously unsuspected determinants of cardiovascular disease decades later. The mechanisms are not yet clear but placental function in maintaining fetal nutrition and hormone secretion are likely to be important. Similar mechanisms have been found to affect female reproductive function and non-reproductive hormones in humans but the potential effects involving male reproductive health have not been studied so far. This project aims to search for prenatal factors that affect the development of the testis and prostate. By this means, prenatal factors may be an important in determining susceptibility to male infertility by lowering sperm output, androgen deficiency due to diminished testicular testosterone secretion and prostate disease notably prostatic hyperplasia. In this study we will employ our own specialised techniques for highly accurate measurement of the size of prostate zones and the testis using high frequency ultrasound. We will identify a birth cohort - a group of men born in a single hospital around 1970 - in whom we will measure prostate zones and testis size by ultrasound together with the hormonal markers relevant to the testis and prostate to examine whether any changes seen according to birthweight are due to concordant changes in hormones. This study could change the way in which disorders of male reproductive health are considered by focusing on factors occurring before and shortly after birth rather than on genetic or ambient environmntal factors in adult life which have been the overwhelming focus of research over recent decades.