Does infertility increase the risk for prostate cancer?

Being infertile may more than double a man's risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer.

A study followed more than 22,500 California men who were evaluated for infertility. Among the 4,548 men identified as infertile, 168 later developed prostate cancer. Although the rate of prostate cancer cases didn't differ between infertile and fertile men, the nature of their cancers did. Gleason scores between 8 and 10 indicate an aggressive cancer. The incidence of these aggressive tumors was 2.6 times higher in infertile men. The reason remains unclear, but some evidence points to genetics and male hormones.

The findings suggest that doctors might want to consider a man's fertility when making recommendations about prostate cancer screening. However, more research must be done before infertility can be considered a risk factor for the disease, as family history and race are. That's because men who are evaluated for infertility may be more likely to seek medical care than the general population, upping their risk of a prostate cancer diagnosis.