International Study Finds That Sperm Counts Have Plummeted 60% Over 40 Years


How’s your jizz? You may think your load is healthy and robust, but there’s a decent chance that you have low sperm concentration and that could mean fertility issues. Fertility issues make it difficult and possibly impossible to create a mini-you. But you are not alone. Plenty of fellow gentlemen have poor sperm counts because it is a worrying trend that has seen sperm counts plunge by 60% over 40 years.

A team of international researchers from Israel, the US, Denmark, Brazil, and Spain published a report in the journal Human Reproduction Update, that sperm counts around the world are declining at an alarming rate based on 185 studies, featuring 42,935 men. From 1973 to 2011, sperm count plummeted by 59.3% and sperm concentration declined 52.4% in men from Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. The same trend was not seen in other parts of the world such as South America, Africa, and Asia, however, researchers said fewer studies had been carried out there and the data was not conclusive. The scary part is that the rate of decline had shown no sign of “leveling off” in recent years. There has been a steady decline of 1.6% a year for total sperm count since 1993.

“Given the importance of sperm counts for male fertility and human health, this study is an urgent wake-up call for researchers and health authorities around the world to investigate the causes of the sharp ongoing drop in sperm count, with the goal of prevention,” said Hagai Levine, one of the researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “If we will not change the ways that we are living and the environment and the chemicals that we are exposed to, I am very worried about what will happen in the future.”

Dr. Levine raised eyebrows by saying that if the problem continues humans could become extinct, “Eventually we may have a problem, and with reproduction in general, and it may be the extinction of the human species.” Other scientists say that making those doomsday prognostications were dangerous and premature to come to such a dire conclusion. Skeptics say that the study is flawed since the sample size was not large enough and data was taken from fertility clinics, so men visiting a fertility clinic are likely to have low sperm counts.

The modern world appears to be causing serious damage to men’s health. Things such as pesticides, hormone-disrupting chemicals, diet, stress, smoking, and obesity have all been “plausibly associated” with the problem. Those factors also increase risks of other illnesses such as testicular cancer and a generally increased mortality rate. A diet high in processed meat, soy, and potatoes, as well as heavy consumption of alcohol and caffeine, are believed to have an adverse effect on male fertility. Bros, please take care of your cumsies.

[Independent]