A team at Stanford was also able to take stem cells, treat them with proteins known to stimulate germ cell formation, and develop both sperm and eggs in the lab. Because most birth defects occur as a result of errors in the development of eggs and sperm, this technique will enable us to study the effects of environmental toxins on germ cell differentiation. This could potentially be monumental towards limiting the number of birth defects. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028142225.htm)
Creating eggs and sperm could be the answer to people left infertile by chemotherapy. Also the risk of down syndrome, caused by trisomy 21, is known to increase exponentially with the age of the mother. This is because eggs are left dormant in metaphase 1, and it is believed that eggs left in this stage for a longer period of time are more likely to have chromosomal abnormalities upon ovulation. (http://www.biomed.emory.edu/PROGRAM_SITES/PBEE/pdf/sherman1.pdf) So doesn't it seem logical that creating eggs in lab would eliminate the age factor of an egg, and drastically decrease the number of chromosomal abnormalities?
Would there be major ethical issues that arise as a result of this research? Could male stem cells produce eggs? Could those eggs be the answer to gay couples having kids of their own? If person A's stem cells were injected into person B's testes to produce sperm, whose sperm would it be?
Ultimately though, I believe this research will be beneficial towards the problem of infertility, and will provide opportunities to people that may not have had them.
Arron, thanks for bringing your practical clinical experience into the discussion on the blog! You’ve raised some significant questions and advances in scientific technology might help turn your suggestions into reality. Looking for scientific papers on your topic I came across a study looking at the correlational relationship between cell phone use and semen quality. I found this article interesting because if a negative relationship was demonstrated then a behavioral modification might help address the challenges infertile couples face and/or curb infertility in men.
ReplyDeleteAgarwal et al. (2008) sought to address whether cell phone use has adverse effects on semen quality and they suspected electromagnetic waves to be the culprit (as implicated by previous studies). They separated over 360 men into four groups with regards to average cell phone use and found statistically significant differences between groups. The group with the highest cell phone use also demonstrated the lowest sperm quality (in terms of sperm count, motility, viability, and morphology). This significant correlation led them to suggest the potential for a direct relationship.
As always, correlational studies have to be take with a grain of salt because they do not demonstrate causation. In addition, cells phones are not the only objects that emit electromagnetic waves and there are plenty of environmental and/or pollution factors that might also contribute to infertility.
Agarwal, A., Deepinder, F., Sharma, R.K., Ranga, G., Li, J. Effect of cell phone usage on semen analysis in men attending infertility clinic: an observational study. (2008). Fertility and Sterility. 89(1): 124-128. Accessed online: 12/4/11
Wow. Well as you said, cell phones are not the only objects that emit electromagnetic waves. So in my opinion, it is likely that those who use cell phones the most are also exposed to more objects that emit EM waves, especially compared to those people in the study that dont use cell phones at all. But the data in table 1 definitely shows a clear decrease in all of the parameters you described. Have to say, this study kinda scares me a little. Makes me wonder the actual effect that all these EM/radiation emitting objects have on our body. Especially as students, we have laptops, cell phones, wireless internet, television, projectors, heaters, etc...
ReplyDeleteI will say though, in my time at the clinic I met a patient who underwent a cycle of IVF 2 years ago with his wife. During the cycle, he had particularly bad sperm. He then decided he wanted to change his lifestyle and started dieting and exercising. Him and his wife were able to get pregnant a second time, without IVF, because his sperm improved dramatically. Diet and exercise seems to be a common theme for staying healthy, and all these blog posts don't seem to say otherwise.