Is There a Link With Male Infertility?

• A recent study has found a possible association between severe male infertility and an increased risk of thyroid and colorectal cancers.
• The study notes that this association may be due to genetic factors.
• Certain lifestyle factors may also increase the risk of developing these cancers, such as obesity and diabetes.

Previous research has linked male infertility to greater risks of adverse health outcomes, such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Research has also found associations with infertility and an increased risk of testicular cancer and prostate cancer.

A recent study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology showed that there may be an association between severe male infertility and non-reproductive cancers, namely thyroid cancer and colorectal cancer.

“The study found that men with severe cases of infertility run a higher risk of developing colon cancer and thyroid cancer,” said S. Adam Ramin, MD, board certified urologist, urologic oncologist, and medical director of Urology Cancer Specialists in Los Angeles, CA. Ramin wasn’t involved in the study.

“The proposed relationship may be genetic mutations that predispose to cancer but also cause infertility,” he told Healthline.

While the study notes the association may be due in part to genetic factors, lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, and physical inactivity, may also increase a person’s risk of cancer.

The study used registry data to analyze more than 1.1 million Swedish males who had children between 1994 and 2014.

The researchers cross-referenced all of the males against the national cancer registry. This revealed a significantly increased risk of thyroid and colorectal cancer among males who had become fathers using ICSI.

“This research does not show that use of ICSI causes infertility,” Ramin said. “It merely indicates that men who have very severe infertility, meaning those who need ICSI rather than in vitro fertilization (IVF), are at higher risk of these cancers.”

The researchers also emphasized that the assisted reproductive intervention itself does not cause cancer.

The study notes that more than 2,300 genes are involved in reproductive function. This means that it is plausible that genetic mutations that both impair male reproductive function and increase the risk of cancer may at least partly explain the higher risk of colorectal cancer.

Certain lifestyle factors can also increase your risk for various cancers, including colorectal cancer. These include smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and obesity, which can all also be associated with low semen quality.

The study considered the age at which males became parents and their educational level. However, the data used did not include lifestyle factors. Despite this, males with severe infertility appear to be at an increased risk for both reproductive and non-reproductive cancers.

“It is important to understand that when an association is found between two medical conditions, it does not mean that the treatment for one of these conditions or the medical condition itself is for sure the reason for [the] development of the secondary condition,” said Ramin.

The research team notes that this study should inform future disease prevention initiatives for males seeking care for fertility issues. Screening these men for potential colorectal and thyroid cancer, as well as testicular cancer during treatment and in follow-ups, is one of their suggestions.

“Most men who undergo fertility testing are between 30 and 35 years old,” study author Angel Elenkov, docent and researcher at Lund University and consultant physician at the Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Region Skåne, said in a press release.

“The aim is to help them become fathers, and there is no subsequent follow-up on their health. These findings are important from a public health perspective, given that cancers of the colon and rectum, as well as thyroid cancer, are on the rise among younger people. These cancers could be prevented through early screening,” Elenkov continued.