Sperm concentration has declined 50 percent in 40 years in Western men
Source: Washington Post
The quality of sperm from men in North America, Europe and Australia has declined dramatically over the past 40 years, with a 52.4 percent drop in sperm concentration, according to a study published Tuesday.
The research the largest and most comprehensive look at the topic, involving data from 185 studies and 42,000 men around the world between 1973 and 2011 appears to confirm fears that male reproductive health may be declining.
The state of male fertility has been one of the most hotly debated subjects in medical science in recent years. While a number of previous studies found that sperm counts and quality have been falling, some dismissed or criticized the studies over factors such as the age of the men included, the size of the study, bias in counting systems or other aspects of the methodologies.
...
The analysis found drops only for men in Europe, North America and Australia and not for those in South America, Asia and Africa. Swan explained that this could mean that there's something specific to certain cultures or regions that affects sperm, but that it's also possible that there just isn't enough data yet to draw firm conclusions about the rest of the world. There have been far fewer sperm studies conducted in non-Western countries. (Some of the most recent ones have also noted a decline in aspects of sperm quality. A study published earlier this year about China's Hunan province found that 56 percent of sperm donations met the criteria for health in 2001 vs. only 18 percent in 2015.)
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2017/07/25/sperm-concentration-has-declined-50-percent-in-40-years/
Aristus
(66,462 posts)Mother Earth is ensuring a declining fertility rate on a polluted, overcrowded planet, among the people doing most of the polluting.
hamsterjill
(15,224 posts)Just like the elephant killing the elephant killer. Sometimes Mother Earth reminds us who is actually in charge.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)I don't think a planet maintains the sentience to ensure what humans can or cannot do.
Aristus
(66,462 posts)paleotn
(17,960 posts)From the outside, it may look like the actions of some sentient entity to some, but in reality, it's just natural processes doing their thing. No thinking or reasoning required. No matter our numbers or level of so called technological achievement, we're still at the mercy of those natural processes that have exterminated possibly millions of species and damn near wiped us out more than once.
TexasBushwhacker
(20,214 posts)But why are sperm counts not going down in Asia, South America and Africa?
FSogol
(45,526 posts)Sunlei
(22,651 posts)Not Ruth
(3,613 posts)Western women have been going through a great many heroic measures to have children in the last few decades, no link no study, just my anecdotal view.
meadowlander
(4,402 posts)and their fertility level naturally decrease with age.
I do think the massive amount of chemicals that permeate our existence probably lead to a drop in fertility as well for both men and women. Most people in developed countries eat rubbish, live in houses cleaned by god knows what and made of materials leaching all kinds of crap, breathe exhaust fumes all day, are surrounded by gadgets that emit radiation, swim in treated pools, drink treated water, walk on lawns and under street trees sprayed with pesticides and on and on.
Constant stress could be a contributor as well. Most people work long hours sitting down and have no job security.
Who knows what factor or combination of factors would result in a drop in sperm count?
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)BeyondGeography
(39,379 posts)That's a big drop.
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)tazkcmo
(7,300 posts)It's been fairly consistent over the last 20 years or so fluctuating between zero and none.
Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)except for the little spermies (and the various tissues and organs of the human body).
paleotn
(17,960 posts)marlakay
(11,491 posts)Scary...
Paladin
(28,272 posts)Any time I come across an image of Ann Coulter, I can feel my sperm count drop.
irisblue
(33,023 posts)Paladin
(28,272 posts)The Coulter worshippers hounded me about it for months. Very satisfying.
irisblue
(33,023 posts)Paladin
(28,272 posts)earthshine
(1,642 posts)The Seinfeld dilemma.
If you heat up your swimmers by a few degrees, they don't work so well.
Here's a joke ...
When asked about it, the old man said, "Depends."
IronLionZion
(45,528 posts)it could be time for more to consider adoption.
benld74
(9,909 posts)Doug the Dem
(1,297 posts)Probably not a bad thing!
flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)When Pence becomes Prez, I'm getting my tubes tied.
Squinch
(51,007 posts)Because, hey, that's how we roll...
maxrandb
(15,353 posts)Squinch
(51,007 posts)Tongue in cheek, I mean
Less Sperm = Less Testosterone = More "chicken-shit" = Voting Republican
Egnever
(21,506 posts)brooklynite
(94,728 posts)BigmanPigman
(51,627 posts)Older men are having children, people are living longer, etc.
I wonder if there is any relation to incresed autism?
flying_wahini
(6,647 posts)Cell phones carried in men's back pockets. It has been argued that the low levels of radiation coming off cell phones in such close proximity can't be a good idea.
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)much less cells a foot away, through the body. At least if you are going to claim this nonsense, say it is from carrying the phone in the front pocket.. The "radiation" from cell phones is electromagnetic waves, which is not the same as the "radiation" from radioactive material.
Your claim make no more sense than vaccines causing autism.
obamanut2012
(26,137 posts)Yeah, no.
Squinch
(51,007 posts)hunter
(38,327 posts)appleannie1943
(1,303 posts)The people in S. America, Asia and Africa all eat real food.
Demonaut
(8,926 posts)Liberallover976
(21 posts)the decline of population in western europe, north america, and australia is not good news for people on the left.
those populations that are growing tend to be more traditional, more religious, and more conservative.
eventually as libral populations decline, the people replacing them will be on the right.
so for every liberal kid who is born, two to thre conservative kids will be born, and that's not good news in the long run.