Sperm counts and concentration are down all over the world, according to a new study that updates previous research and raises questions about exposures and men's health.From 1973 to 2000, sperm counts dropped by 1.2% per year, "which is a lot," said Hagai Levine, who helped lead the research. From 2000 to 2018, the decline was 2.6% per year, "which is an amazing pace."
The United States is part of this larger trend.
"In the U.S., due to availability of good data, we have the highest certainty that there is a strong and sustainable decline, but it's similar globally," Levine said.
It's unclear why sperm counts have been falling.
"We don't understand why we're seeing this pattern, so I think it's hard to be alarmist for an individual," said Dr. Michael Eisenberg, a urologist focused on male fertility and sexual function at Stanford University and Stanford Health Care in California. He was not involved in the new study.
Sperm count means the number of sperms per milliliter of semen. This means that the number of sperm per milliliter of men's semen is decreasing. In the last 46 years, there has been a decline of more than 50 percent in the sperm count of men. According to the study, in the last 22 years, the decline of sperm count has increased even more.
What else was found in the study?
According to a study done on data from many countries around the world, in 1973 the sperm count was recorded at 101 million/ml. And in 2018, the sperm count decreased to 49 million/ml. This study has been done by an international team of scientists. Earlier in the year 2017, such study came on North America, Europe and Australia. Similar figures were found in that too.Taking this study further, the countries of South America, Asia and Africa were included in it. Along with this, data from 2011 to 2018 has also been added. It has been published in the journal Human Reproduction Update . In this, 223 studies were done on the basis of semen samples of more than 57 thousand men from 53 countries and then a common result was extracted.It has been observed in the study that after the year 2000, there has been an acceleration in the decline of total sperm count and sperm concentration in men around the world. The data from 1973 to 2018 shows that the sperm count declined by an average of 1.2 percent every year till the year 2000. At the same time, after the year 2000, this decline saw an increase of more than 2.6 percent every year.
The effect of decreasing sperm count?
A drop in spurt count beyond a limit affects fertility. Dr. Anand Dharaskar says that a fall in sperm count can delay pregnancy. Couples may have difficulty in conceiving. And this can cause stress.
According to the Mayo Clinic , when there are less than 15 million sperm per milliliter of semen, it is called a low sperm count. Due to low sperm count, there may be difficulty in conceiving. However, pregnancy is possible even in this condition.
What can men do to boost their sperm count?
Men concerned about their fertility should to talk to their doctor, Eisenberg said. It's important to be evaluated and determine whether there are specific treatments that may help.
Being healthy overall is important for reproductive health. Eisenberg suggests a healthy diet, regular exercise and smoking cessation.
"I always tell men there's a strong link between fertility and health, so anything that's good for your heart is good for fertility," Eisenberg said.
A few other tips:
►Alcohol use: Moderate alcohol use is OK, Eisenberg noted, with studies suggesting that semen quality drops only after about 20 drinks a week.
►Avoid extreme heat: There's no strong link between what kind of underwear men wear – boxers or briefs. But heat exposure isn't good, so he advises avoiding hot tubs and saunas while trying to conceive.
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