Last Updated: November 27, 2022, 07:59 IST
The research took two metrics into consideration – sperm concentration and sperm count. (Credits: Reuters)
The research said that the sperm count fell by 62.3% and sperm concentration by 51.6% from 101.2 million to 49 million per millilitre between 1973 and 2018.
A recent study has revealed that men’s reproductive health has been on a decline. Experts suggest that there has been a rapid decline in sperm count and the research discusses the reasons for it. Published in the Human Reproductive Update, the new study revealed sperm count in men has been dropping by over 62 percent over the past 45 years. The researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 223 studies from 53 countries that included data from 57,000 males who were not known to be infertile. The study was the largest study of sperm counts and concentration, showing an evident decline in sperm health in Central and South America, Africa, and Asia.
The lead author of the study, professor Hagai Levine told news agency PTI that India is a part of the trend as well. He revealed that the mean sperm count has dropped from 104 to 49 million/ml and such a dip clearly represented a decline in the capacity of the population to reproduce. The results of the research point towards a potential reproductive crisis if the trend continues.
The research took two metrics into consideration – sperm concentration and sperm count. Sperm concentration refers to the number of sperms per millilitre of semen and total sperm count is the total number of sperms in an entire ejaculation. Sperm count is calculated by multiplying sperm concentration with semen volume.
Previous research published in 2017 by Levine and his team of researchers suggested that sperm concentration had fallen by over half in the past 40 years. The updated study revealed that the sperm count fell by 62.3 percent and sperm concentration by 51.6 percent from 101.2 million to 49 million per millilitre between 1973 and 2018. The decline per year had doubled after 2000, according to the meta-regression model designed to analyze the data.
While the cause of the decline in sperm count and concentrations couldn’t be pinpointed, the possible causes mentioned were pollution, drugs, smoking, plastics, and prescribed medication. Lifestyle issues such as obesity and poor diet have also been included in the various factors contributing to the problem.
Read all the Latest Lifestyle News here
