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semenmobile .com. Why is male fertility declining so drastically?
Thanks for asking. For 30 years, male sperm counts have been declining all around the world, particularly in Western countries.
It's been demonstrated over and over again by scientific studies.
Indeed, research published by Oxford Academic in the Human Reproduction Update Journal in 2017 looked at nearly 200 studies on the matter, it found that sperm counts in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand had plummeted by 59 % from 1973 to 2011.
What are the reasons behind this?
One reason that's been identified is environmental factors.
A study published in the journal Environment International earlier this year established a direct link between certain polluting particles and the quality of sperm.
To reach this conclusion researchers from the University of Copenhagen tested the urine of 98 young Danish men who had been exposed on a daily basis to nine chemicals present in the environment.
Which chemical substances were those?
Bisphenols, specifically bisphenols A, S and F, which are mainly found in food packaging and paint.
The researchers also tested for phtalates, which are found in the plastic of certain household products, polychlorinated dioxins, and butylparaben, which is used in manufacturing certain beauty products and paracetamol.
Concerning quantities of these substances were found in the young men's urine.
For some of them their combined exposures were up to a hundred times higher than safe levels.
Are some substances more harmful than others?
Yes, and that side of the study is pretty groundbreaking.
The researchers tried to determine which of these pollutants was most harmful.
for? It seems that bisphenols are particularly nasty when it comes to reducing sperm count.
However even by removing them completely, the remaining mixture of pollutants was still enough to harm male fertility.
Paracetamol is also an important risk factor to unborn children, if their mothers take it while pregnant.
The child may develop allergies and metabolic problems like obesity because these pollutants ingested by the mother can weaken the membrane and amniotic fluid.
What can men do to be aware of their fertility?
For now at least average male sperm counts remain above the low count threshold set by the World Health Organization.
The agency estimates anything below 15 million sperm per millilitre of semen can complicate fertility for a man.
Nevertheless there is still growing concern about the human reproduction crisis and where we could be by the middle of the 21st century if the current decline continues.
Men men worried about their sperm count can get a home sperm test or talk to their doctor about fertility.
To figure out the cause of a low sperm count or low quality sperm, men can carry out a variety of tests to figure out if it's genetic, hormonal, down to lifestyle choices or something else.
There you have it. Now you know why male fertility is declining so drastically.
In under three minutes we answer your questions and help you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines.
Listen along and you will really know for sure.
