The man is the father of the family, but what if he cannot create this family? Over time, the problem of infertility becomes more and more urgent. Has everything gone so far that humanity will soon come to an end? Or can the situation still be saved? Find out what could be causing your sperm quality to deteriorate, and learn what scientists are doing to remedy the situation and what you can do to improve your chances of successful conception.
Why can humanity disappear?
There are many theories about what could end the human race. An asteroid the size of Texas, a super-volcano beneath Yellowstone National Park, or, if humans can live very long, the death of the main star, the Sun. Constant climate change is a complete disaster of our time. A worldwide pandemic could begin, although the likelihood that it will kill all seven billion people is extremely small. The threat of nuclear war still hangs over people's heads. However, the only source of threat that is hardly ever considered is human health, in particular sperm health in men. Over the past fifty or sixty years, sperm quality in men in developed countries has deteriorated significantly. The reason for this phenomenon continues to elude scientists for decades.
Decreasing sperm quality
Sperm count, in scientific parlance called sperm concentration, has dropped significantly in young people. The sperm concentration should be about 15 million (or more) sperm per millimeter. If the concentration falls below this mark, the man goes into the category of subfertile. Also in the process of conception, sperm motility is important, that is, their ability to actively move to reach the egg, the composition of the DNA and even the shape and size of the sperm. All of these indicators have also deteriorated. One French study, which was conducted from 1989 to 2005 and studied 26,000 men, found that sperm count dropped by one third over sixteen years. Sperm quality has decreased by about the same. And this decrease is progressive, that is, there is a possibility thatthat for the same people all these indicators are still deteriorating. Some studies report that sperm quality has been deteriorating for over a century.
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The growing popularity of artificial insemination
Gary Cherr is a reproductive toxicologist based at the University of California, Davis. He reports that males in industrialized countries have much lower sperm quality than humans in developing countries, primates and other mammals. Even among the most fertile people, this problem still remains relevant. In a recent European study, it was found that twenty percent of men who took part in the experiment were subfertile. And this is leading to the popularization of fertilization procedures in other ways, such as in vitro fertilization, better known as IVF. Over the past thirty years, the number of cases of testicular cancer has doubled, and researchers are looking for a link between these circumstances.
Why is this happening?
And while there is currently no clear understanding of why sperm quality declines, hypothetical theories are on the rise. Environmental toxins, industrial waste and agricultural chemicals, pesticides and other fertilizers all fall into the list of suspected causes. One study found that industrial-grade aluminum, which appeared around the same time that sperm problems began, was the culprit in men's health problems. Other alleged culprits are radiation from electronic devices, a high-fat diet, lack of physical activity and a sedentary lifestyle, and the obesity epidemic. Also, married couples begin to think about children later and later in their lives, which also has an impact on fertility.
How to deal with this?
According to preliminary estimates, it can be said that about 219 thousand couples in the United States of America alone have fertility problems, or about 15% of all couples in the country. In half of the cases, the cause of the problem is a man, but this is not an accurate statistic, and the percentage can vary from 20 to 70. For men in couples who are trying to conceive a child, urologists advise to exercise, eat right, avoid cigarettes and alcohol, and control stress levels … The healthier the future father, the healthier his sperm. Certain specialty medications can also have positive effects.
What other problems can lead to poor sperm quality?
There are other problems as well. For example, DNA damage can interfere with fertilization. Chromosome Y is programmed to gradually deteriorate over time. There is also a coating to protect the sperm as it travels through hostile environments. Some men have genetic mutations that prevent this membrane from growing. A recent study revealed that there is a receptor on the tail of the sperm that, when in contact with progesterone from the egg, accelerates the sperm. This leads to the fact that the tail begins to move strongly, allowing the sperm to successfully pass the finish line. The sperm of some men simply lack such receptors.
Fighting the big problem
Although women often portray men as more simple creatures, their biological characteristics prove that they are not. But at the same time, work on a cure for infertility due to male fault was practically not carried out. However, even with this in mind, apart from freezing healthy sperm, scientists are starting to make impressive progress that may help combat sperm crisis before it reaches critical levels. For example, Chinese scientists recently announced that they were able to create artificial mouse sperm in the laboratory. However, some scientists are still not convinced by this result, and they argue that mice are one thing, but humans are quite another. But the first steps towards a technological solution have already been taken. Changes in the social sphere,more stringent consumer protections and environmental protection can further improve male sperm quality. At the same time, experts say that despite all the progress that science is making in identifying the cause and finding a solution, the best way is to conceive a child in the traditional way. If you can do it.
Marina Ilyushenko