Fertility News
Smoking during pregnancy affects fertility of unborn boys - 11/20/2007
Researchers from the Aberdeen University recently announced that smoking while pregnant affects the DHH gene found in the testes and thus, reduces the fertility of unborn boys. In previous years, it was understood that smoking affects the fertility of unborn boys but it was never known how. But this week, researchers discovered a link between maternal smoking and fertility of boys.
DHH is a gene, which plays a big role in testicle development, and sperm count of boys. Researchers who performed the study examined 22 human fetuses and looked at 30 genes that control testicle growth. The study found that fetuses where women smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day had nearly half the DHH gene levels than women who did not smoke.
Dr. Allan Pacey, an expert from the British Fertility Society said that male future fertility can be determined very early – when the unborn baby is in the womb itself. Pacey also revealed that beef and pesticides in drinking water have also been known to cause fertility problems in boys.
Source: BBC News
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