HOW STRESS AFFECTS MEN'S SPERM COUNT

A new study has shown how men sperms can be affected by childhood trauma. Researchers have identified how it affects them after measuring two types of sperm microRNAs in twenty-eight adult white men. The levels of these miRNAs were found to be lower in men who scored higher on a questionnaire used in assessing exposure to abuse and trauma in childhood.

The small molecules which regulate genes do not alter the DNA sequence in cells, however, do control the genes which will be active and when they will. The researchers also assessed childhood stress using the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) questionnaire. It included ten questions about the stressful experiences they go through until the age of eighteen years which included physical, verbal or sexual abuse and emotional neglect.

Researchers at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente did an earlier study and found that higher ACE scores were linked to great risk of physical and poor mental health accompanied with negative social consequences in the later stages of life.

Previous studies also linked other environmental factors such as obesity and smoking to the expression of the miRNAs. It is the first study that conducted a study on the effects of stress on sperm miRNAs. Traditionally, it was believed that stress interfered with ovulation. It is a known phenomenon that doctors knew for a long time, but this study changed things and showed that it can also affect both men and women. Dr. Zev Williams of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility explained how these studies show that there is an effect and how it can have long-term effects on people.

Also see : Dealing with a patient who has mental illness. Research done by scientists recently have changed their mindset where they only thought that sperms only contributed DNA to the mother’s egg during fertilization. The research is, however, different as is the case in mice which show that miRNAs are also contributed. The data found shows how it could potentially affect the development of the embryo and the next generation after that. Researchers found that the effects of early life stress are passed onto not only the offspring but up to the third generation. The effects were also seen on the female offspring of male mice that were affected in early life.

miRNAs in mice are involved in the development of the brain and sperm. Studies by other researchers have also shown how lower levels of miRNAs are linked to reducing the quality of sperm and fertility in men. It is still, however, not clear to what causes stress in sperm miRNAs which finds its origin from the early days of humans where one of the main sources of stress was the lack of enough food or nutrition.

A human body reacts in various ways; therefore, it is common for it to sense and respond by blocking the occurrence of pregnancy. Last year, a study conducted found that sperm counts among many men in different parts of the world reduced by half over the past forty years. Research has shown that stress is harmful to your physical and mental health. Therefore, it would be advisable to address it sooner rather than later.

Source: www.healthline.com