1 in 5 Men Are Sub-Fertile: Why Sperm Counts Are Dropping Fast
Are we entering the age of male infertility?
A new report from the European Science Foundation says that male infertility is on the rise. Over the last 50 years, sperm counts have dropped significantly. Surprisingly, the report says that 20% of men between the ages of 18-25 have sperm in the "subfertile" range.
According to the report, 10% of couples worldwide are considered infertile. The National Institutes of Health says that when a couple cannot conceive, one third of the time the issue lies with the woman's reproductive system, one third of the time with the man's. The final third is both or neither, without a pinpointed cause.
Why are men becoming less fertile?
The European report says that male reproductive health has been steadily declining, due to obesity, smoking, and prenatal factors. For example, if a man smokes, his sperm quality is affected. And it's significantly affected if his mother smoked while pregnant.
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The NIH states the following as some of the reasons for male infertility:
1. Age
2. Stress
3. Exposing the testes to high temperatures, which can affect the ability of the sperm to move and to fertilize an egg.
4. For instance: Cryptorchism is a condition where the testes do not descend into the scrotum.
5. Tight underwear-For some men, wearing tight underwear can also increase the temperature of the testes.
6. Smoking, drugs, and alcohol
Head to Babble's Strollerderby to discover the rest of the top causes of this spike in infertility and join the conversation. Do men need to change their lifestyle if they hope to remain fertile?
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