School of engineering, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China; College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Assisted Reproduction Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310020, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Oct 1;945:173994. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173994. Epub 2024 Jun 13.
In the last two decades, there has been a fast-growing prevalence of infertility reported in China. Moreover, Chinese reproductive health has shown a clear decline. Thus, it is imperative to determine the precipitating causes and the root causes of this decline. Environmental and climate risks (ECRs) may cause the decline in reproductive health. Experimental findings have shown that the impact of ECRs on reproductive health can be passed down from both males and females to their offspring, demonstrating an intergenerational and transgenerational lag effect. We perceive that the declined reproductive health may lead to negative demographic consequences in China; therefore, we suggest the following five regulations be implemented: (i) prevent Chinese of childbearing age from exposure to ECRs; (ii) further develop and promote assisted reproductive technology and set up sperm and ovum banks on a national scale; (iii) quantitatively establish the causality between fathers and mothers who suffer from ECRs and the impaired reproductive health in their progeny; (iv) teach ECRs-health knowledge in psychotherapeutic training and continuing education; and (v) propagate and further promote common prosperity.
在过去的二十年中，中国不孕不育的发病率呈快速上升趋势。此外，中国的生殖健康状况也明显下降。因此，必须确定导致这种下降的促成因素和根本原因。环境和气候风险（ECRs）可能导致生殖健康状况下降。实验结果表明，ECRs 对生殖健康的影响可以从男性和女性传递给他们的后代，表现出代际和跨代滞后效应。我们认为，生殖健康状况的下降可能会导致中国出现负面的人口后果；因此，我们建议实施以下五项规定：（i）防止育龄期的中国人接触 ECRs；（ii）进一步发展和推广辅助生殖技术，并在全国范围内建立精子库和卵子库；（iii）定量建立父母双方因 ECRs 而导致生殖健康受损与其后代之间的因果关系；（iv）在心理治疗培训和继续教育中教授 ECRs-健康知识；以及（v）宣传和进一步促进共同繁荣。
