A recent study has found that, the pubertal timings may be a fundamental marker of male reproductive health and can influence general health and risk of disease in adulthood.

Pubertal is the transition period between childhood and adulthood during which boys attain adult reproductive capacity.

Pubertal onset depends on individual genetic variations, lifestyle, epigenetic modifications, and environmental factors. The age at pubertal onset varies considerably from 9 to 14 years.

According to the study, the men who had early or late onset of puberty than their peers had a poorer semen quality and smaller testicles at the age 19 years.

On the other hand, delayed puberty has been linked with psychosocial problems and a risk of obesity,  cardiovascular disease and diabetes in adulthood as well.

Anders Juul, Professor, University of Copenhagen in Denmark, said that, “Understanding the implications of the timing of puberty for your future reproductive health is important, as we speculate that puberty timing influences general health and risk of disease later in life.”  

The study published in the journal Human Reproduction includes 1068 Danish men at the age of 19.

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Nandini