I have been noticing it for the past ten years: the sperm parameters in otherwise healthy men have been declining. In fact, the World Health Organization recently downgraded the normal values for a semen analysis.
An article in the July 16th edition of the Wall Street Journal reports on the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) annual conference last week which debated the issue for an entire day.
One recent analysis found that in France, the sperm concentration of men decreased by nearly one-third between 1989 and 2005. Most but not all studies from several European nations with large databases and the ability to track health records have found that over the past 15 years or so, the counts of healthy men ages 18 to 25 have significantly decreased. This comes after a prominent study from the 1990s suggested that sperm count has decreased by half over the last half-century.
Not all the experts believe this is true but proponents say that exposure to pesticides, endocrine-disrupting chemicals like Bisphenol A and lifestyle habits like sitting for too long contribute to the proposed sperm crisis. And there is increasing evidence that sperm count, like other health conditions, may be influenced by what happens to people early in life, even in the womb. And I have been telling my patients this for years.
Accumulating evidence suggests that early life influences make a difference. Some researchers say that there is a vulnerable period, perhaps between eight and 14 weeks of gestation, in which influences are irreversible. One of the most robust links with decreased sperm count is maternal smoking during pregnancy.
The male’s own current marijuana use was also linked to lower sperm count, according to data presented at the conference.
So check out this article and our Lifestyle & Fertility pages to learn about risk factors and supplements one can use to try to reverse these changes.