Volume 110, Issue 5, Pages 826–832

Authors:

Linn Håkonsen Arendt, Ph.D., Morten Søndergaard Lindhard, Ph.D., Camilla Kjersgaard, M.D., Tine Brink Henriksen, Ph.D., Jørn Olsen, Ph.D., Cecilia Høst Ramlau-Hansen, Ph.D.

Abstract:

Objective

To study if parental subfertility is related to the occurrence of the male genital anomalies, cryptorchidism and hypospadias.

Design

Population-based cohort study.

Setting

Not applicable.

Patient(s)

A total of 80,220 singleton boys and their mothers from the Danish National Birth Cohort and the Aarhus Birth Cohort.

Intervention(s)

None.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

The two congenital anomalies; cryptorchidism and hypospadias, registered within the Danish National Patient Register up until December 31, 2012.

Result(s)

By means of Cox regression analyses, we found no associations between waiting time-to-pregnancy (TTP) and cryptorchidism or hypospadias among those who conceived spontaneously. The highest hazard ratio for cryptorchidism was seen among boys of couples with a TTP>12 months who conceived after fertility treatment (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.19, 95% confidence interval 0.92–1.55). For hypospadias, we found that boys of couples with a TTP>12 months who conceived after fertility treatment, had a 71% higher risk of hypospadias (aHR 1.71, [95% confidence interval 1.24–3.36]) as compared with boys of couples with a TTP<5 months.

Conclusion(s)

The findings from this study showed that boys of couples with TTP>12 months who conceived after fertility treatment, had a higher occurrence of hypospadias than boys conceived spontaneously of couples with a short TTP. Among those who conceived spontaneously, TTP was not associated with hypospadias or cryptorchidism. These findings indicate that fertility treatment or severity of subfertility is related to hypospadias.

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