1srelluc
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Men's sperm counts have more than halved over the past 50 years, with potentially drastic consequences for the future of the human race.
About one in six adults worldwide experience infertility at some point, according to the World Health Organization, and between 30% and 50% of cases are linked to problems with the quantity and quality of semen, said New Scientist. Either the total number of sperm is too low, or the cells "struggle to swim" (reduced motility), which decreases the chance of reaching an egg cell.
The big question is no longer "whether this so-called 'spermageddon' is happening", said science writer David Robson, "but why, and what to do about it".
theweek.com
What is 'spermageddon'?
The "drastic shift" in sperm counts has been documented since the 1970s, but by the 1990s "the issue started catching considerably more scientific attention", said Robson.
In 2017, veteran reproductive epidemiologist Shanna Swan and her team at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, published a meta-analysis of 185 studies of more than 42,000 men between 1973 and 2011: "the largest of its kind", said Robson.
The results showed that the concentration of sperm in a millilitre of semen, and the total number of sperm in the sample, seemed to have decreased by 50%-60% in men from North America, Europe and Australasia. "If the decline continued at this rate, the median sperm count would reach zero by the mid-2040s," said Robson.
When you sit around and don't use it and it gets "rusty". Half as effective? Just double the frequency.
Blah, total sperm cells per ejaculation is what matters, back in the day I had enough to repopulate the Earth, Mars, and the rest of the solar system.
About one in six adults worldwide experience infertility at some point, according to the World Health Organization, and between 30% and 50% of cases are linked to problems with the quantity and quality of semen, said New Scientist. Either the total number of sperm is too low, or the cells "struggle to swim" (reduced motility), which decreases the chance of reaching an egg cell.
The big question is no longer "whether this so-called 'spermageddon' is happening", said science writer David Robson, "but why, and what to do about it".

'Spermageddon': global decline in sperm count could threaten humanity
'Drastic shift' linked to environmental factors including pollutants and chemicals, and lifestyle issues such as obesity
What is 'spermageddon'?
The "drastic shift" in sperm counts has been documented since the 1970s, but by the 1990s "the issue started catching considerably more scientific attention", said Robson.
In 2017, veteran reproductive epidemiologist Shanna Swan and her team at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, published a meta-analysis of 185 studies of more than 42,000 men between 1973 and 2011: "the largest of its kind", said Robson.
The results showed that the concentration of sperm in a millilitre of semen, and the total number of sperm in the sample, seemed to have decreased by 50%-60% in men from North America, Europe and Australasia. "If the decline continued at this rate, the median sperm count would reach zero by the mid-2040s," said Robson.
When you sit around and don't use it and it gets "rusty". Half as effective? Just double the frequency.
Blah, total sperm cells per ejaculation is what matters, back in the day I had enough to repopulate the Earth, Mars, and the rest of the solar system.