It ain't the length, it's the TAINT .... ooookkk

WASHINGTON: When it comes to male fertility, it turns out that size does matter.

The dimension in question is not penis or testicle size, but a measurement known as anogenital distance, or AGD. Men whose AGD is shorter than the median length — around 2 inches — have seven times the chance of being sub-fertile as those with a longer AGD, according to a study published on Friday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

That distance, measured from the anus to the underside of the scrotum, is linked to male fertility, including semen volume and sperm count, the study found. The shorter the AGD, the more likely a man was to have a low sperm count.

This offers the prospect of a simple screening test for men, said study co-author Shanna Swan of the University of Rochester Medical Center . "It's non-invasive and anybody can do it, and it's not sensitive to the things that sperm count is sensitive to, like stress or whether you have a cold or whether it's hot," Swan said.

In earlier studies, scientists tested for presence of phthalates in the pregnant women's urine. They found that women who had high levels of phthalates in their urine during pregnancy gave birth to sons who were 10 times more likely to have shorter than expected AGDs.