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Ionizing Radiation

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Male Infertility

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Abstract

The past 50 years have seen a rapid decrease in seminal quality, demonstrating the relevance of an ever-changing world and subsequent variable environmental influences on reproduction. Experts attribute the phenomenon of unexplained male infertility (UMI) to developments in industry, evolving lifestyles and the ensuing effects of environmental changes to the body. The reproductive system is bombarded with toxins, environmental exposures and unhealthy lifestyle choices from its initial development (gestational and pre-pubertal) right through to maturity (adulthood). Such external factors can induce morphologic-, genetic- or oxidative impairment of reproductive tissues and functions. One such factor is ionizing radiation (IR). The effects of IR on reproduction are of growing concern as the number of people exposed to radiation via medical procedures or industrial occupations increase.

This chapter aims to address the issue of IR and its effect on male reproduction, briefly discussing some possible sources of IR as well as some biological effects succeeding IR exposure. Though the studies evaluating the effects of IR on reproduction are few and not without their constraints, there is certainly enough evidence to validate the inclusion of IR to the arsenal of environmental factors that might be partially, if not definitively, responsible for the development of UMI.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Medical Physiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, 19063, Tygerberg, Western Cape, 7505, South Africa

    Pieter Johann Maartens BSc, BSc (Hons), MSc & Stefan S. du Plessis BSc (Hons), MSc, MBA, PhD (Stell)

  2. Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Western Cape, South Africa

    Margot Flint BSc, BSc (Hons), MSc

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  1. Pieter Johann Maartens BSc, BSc (Hons), MSc
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  2. Margot Flint BSc, BSc (Hons), MSc
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  3. Stefan S. du Plessis BSc (Hons), MSc, MBA, PhD (Stell)
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Correspondence to Stefan S. du Plessis BSc (Hons), MSc, MBA, PhD (Stell) .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Medical Physiology, Stellenbosch University Faculty of Health Sciences, Tygerberg, South Africa

    Stefan S. du Plessis

  2. Department of Urology, Cleveland Clinic Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Ashok Agarwal

  3. Department of Urology, Cleveland Clinic Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Edmund S. Sabanegh, Jr.

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Maartens, P.J., Flint, M., du Plessis, S.S. (2014). Ionizing Radiation. In: du Plessis, S., Agarwal, A., Sabanegh, Jr., E. (eds) Male Infertility. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1040-3_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1040-3_14

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