There is a hormone called osteocalcin that is released by bones and this regulates fertility in males, according to a new study.

Gerard Karsenty led researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, and in a lab test on mice they found that skeleton regulated male fertility. It was also noted earlier that skeletons of males that were unable to secrete the hormone were not breeders.

Testosterone is a sex steroid hormone that controls male fertility and osteocalcin increases the production of this hormone.

The synthesis increased when cells that produce testosterone were added with osteocalcin. Similarly, there was a rise in circulating levels of testosterone when osteocalcin was injected into male mice.

It was also spotted by researchers that in osteocalcin’s absence, there is a drop in the levels of testosterone and sperm count is further declined.

Only half the number of litters was produced by female mice that were bred with male mice that did not have osteocalcin.

Depending on the similarities between human hormones and mouse, Karsenty hopes that though the findings have not been confirmed in humans but similar characteristics will be spotted in humans.