May 3, 2007

new research on sperm quality of men with diabetes

An expert in andrology comments on new research published in the journal Human Reproduction that suggests men with diabetes have sperm with DNA damage.

Dr. Allan Pacey, Senior Lecturer in Andrology, University of Sheffield, said:

“We know that for a man to be fertile is more than just about the number of sperm he produces, how they are shaped, or how well they swim. Equally important is the quality of the DNA in the sperm head. Sperm with damaged DNA are often able to fertilise an egg, but if the damage is too great then embryo development may be compromised or the pregnancy may not go to term. In extreme cases it is possible that the health of any children born may be affected.

“Although there is no significant evidence that men with diabetes are less fertile, or their children less healthy, it is of some concern that more of their sperm DNA may be damaged. It would be important to understand the mechanism by which this damage occurs so that if it can be avoided we can work out how to do this.

“Men with diabetes should not be alarmed by these findings, but if they have concerns about their fertility they should go and see their General Practitioner. However, laboratory tests for sperm DNA damage are not widely available yet and so it may not be possible to test the sperm of any diabetic man who might be worried.”