Why we should all worry about declining sperm counts

According to the findings of a recent study called 'Temporal trends in sperm count: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis of samples collected globally in the 20th and 21st centuries,' conducted by a group of scientists led by renowned Israeli epidemiologist Hagai Levine, sperm counts among men are dropping globally at an alarming rate. 

The study took into account the data published in several related studies that were conducted in the last few decades. Based on this, they concluded that the concentration of sperm in men has dropped by more than 51%, from 101.2 million to 49 million sperm per millilitre of semen, between 1973 to 2018. That's quite a drop!  

This piece of news has dropped like a bombshell, especially in developed countries where talking about men's fertility is not considered taboo. However, the findings have serious implications for Bangladeshi people, since the reasons outlined for such a decline bear significance for us as well, even if such topics are usually avoided in our society. 

The reason behind this declining trend of male sperm count is very simple – our lifestyle and the surrounding environment. Growing studies show that sperm count is decreasing because of our unhealthy modern lifestyle. Modern people have a very hectic lifestyle. No work-life balance and excessive work pressure always keep the pendulum of life hanging in balance, squeezing out all other aspects of life and putting more burden on people's mental health.  

Owing to excessive pressure at work, employers feel sad when they go back home. This kind of stress in life leads to hormonal changes such as testosterone imbalance in men, which can directly hamper sperm production. Several studies and health professionals have repeatedly opined in many interviews that chronic stress can muck up a person's fertility. And healthy sperms are unlikely to be secreted when someone is stressed.  

Moreover, most people now do sedentary jobs, and therefore do not have ample opportunities to work their body muscles. People are also more reluctant to do physical exercise and have unhealthy sleeping hours. Lack of physical exercise and proper sleep cycle have a direct impact on hormone levels, contributing to more oestrogen in the male body. 

As a result, problems like obesity and extra fat around male reproductive organs are rising, which hamper the sperm production process in men. According to a study conducted a few years ago by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), the kind and level of physical activity men undergo affects their sperm quality.  

Environmental toxicity is another reason that is taking a toll on men's sperm health. One very evident way of poisoning the environment is through the abundant use of pesticides and other chemicals while producing crops. Lots of chemicals are used nowadays in the soil to scale up production rates and ensure better farming outputs. Different pesticides are also used to ensure a higher production rate of crops. 

So, the whole food supply chain abounds in herbicides and pesticides.  

In the end, what people get is adulterated food. Food items produced using huge pesticides and chemicals can seriously hamper body functions, resulting in declining sperm counts and impaired sperm motility. 

Findings of the study called 'Impact of Heavy Metals on Human Male Fertility' published in 2021 in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), a part of the United States National Library of Medicine, say that exposure to heavy metals including pesticides through occupational or environmental exposure is a threat to reproductive health. 

Fertility is turning out to be a major cause of concern in our society. If you ever pay a visit to any of the fertility centres located in your vicinity, you will see the queue of patients is long. 

And in most cases, people's lifestyle or the environmental toxicity they are getting exposed to is to blame for this growing menace. If we want to ward off this next disaster in the race of human evolution, we need to reconsider our lifestyle choices.     

It's a looming crisis. If we want to benefit as a human race through the process of natural selection, an idea propounded by English naturalist Charles Darwin in his best-selling book 'On the Origin of Species', we have to take the news of declining sperm counts among men seriously. 

Natural selection is a process through which populations of living organisms adapt and change in order to survive. One thing is very vital for natural selection -- adaptive traits tailored to the environment must be passed onto the offspring so that the transmission of favourable traits through generations goes on unabated. 

For this to happen, procreation must continue. But if sperm counts among men continue to drop at such an alarming rate, then the process of reproduction will be hampered greatly, putting humans' natural ability to adapt to the environment in jeopardy in the long run. 

Md Morshedul Alam Mohabat is a columnist who likes to delve deeper into the human psyche and social incongruities with a view to exploring the factors that influence these.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.