There is great concern regarding the reproductive and health hazards of endocrine disruptors. Research indicates that men are experiencing declining fertility and an increased incidence of prostate cancer, while women are dealing with increased infertility, early menopause, and breast cancer. As new research reveals the previously unknown risks of these endocrine disruptors, it is imperative to update our knowledge of these controversial chemicals. Endocrine Disruptors: Effects on Male and Female Reproductive Systems, Second Edition examines the reproductive and health hazards of endocrine-disrupting environmental chemicals from epidemiology to etiology, concluding with future directions. Divided into two sections, the first part of the book describes the effects of environmental toxicants on the female reproductive system, with an emphasis on the effects and mechanisms of their action on sex differentiation during development, fertility, and breast cancer. The second part addresses the effects of endocrine disruption on the male reproductive system, focusing on male fertility and the development of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer. Leading authorities contribute expert analyses and up-to-date information on a topic that has become a major concern among the scientific community and the general public. This second edition supplies the most current, critical knowledge on the real risks that endocrine disruptors pose to the population.

Infertility is defned as the inability to conceive after having unprotected intercourse for a year. Infertility is increasing worldwide and has various causes both in the male and the female partner. Immune reactions to sperm can contribute up to 2-30% of infertility. The sperm has both autoantigenic as well as isoantigenic potential, and is thus capable of p- ducing antisperm antibodies (ASAs) and sperm-reactive T cells in both infertile men and women. Also, over 75% vasectomized men produce autoantibodies to sperm that can cause a problem in regaining fertility even after successful re-anastomosis in vasovasostomy. Early claims regarding the incidence and involvement of ASAs in involuntary human infertility were probably overemphasized because of unreliable techniques and naivety concerning the complexity of the immune response and antigenic nature of the sperm cell. These factors, the lack of well-designed and controlled experimental studies, and the dearth of effective therapeutic modalities resulted in the confusion of the occurrence and importance of ASAs in human infertility. Consequently, evaluation of infertile couples for ASAs and their possible role in infertility was not considered a signifcant proposition. The development of more accurate assays and the discovery of mucosal immunity capable of responses independent of systemic immunity have caused inclusion of sperm cells and genital tract secretions in the analysis of ASAs.