Sperm quality increases risk of miscarriage

Miscarriages are not related, apparently, only with the health of the mother, but also the sperm quality of the partner: In men, the women had repeatedly suffered miscarriages, were the sperm less mobile and had more damage in the genome.

Sperm of men whose women had multiple miscarriages, had about twice as much damage in their DNA than men in the control group, whose partners had suffered no miscarriages. This damage could have been caused by aggressive molecules that are normally used to fight infection and bacteria, and they were the men of the test group in four-fold higher concentration. Study author Dr. Channa Jayasena from Imperial College London says: "Although none of the men suffered in the study of acute infection, such as chlamydia, of which we know that it can affect sperm health, it is possible that bacteria from previous infections can stay in the prostate. This could lead to permanently high levels of reactive oxygen species."

The results contribute to a growing number of Clues suggesting that the sperm determine the course of a pregnancy. Other studies have for example shown that they play an important role for the formation of the placenta, which is crucial for oxygen and nutrient supply to the fetus.

For the study, the quality of the sperm of 50 men, whose wives had suffered the births of three or more miscarriages compared with the 60 men, with their women, the pregnancies easily were lost. The men in the test group were on average 37 years, slightly older than the control group with an average of 30 years. Also, you were Overweight a bit more than the men in the control group.

ZOU