Study shows men run out of sperm

Get ready, ladies and gentlemen: We lack sperm.

A new study shows that male infertility has exploded – the number of men seeking treatment has increased sevenfold and sperm quality has dropped dramatically over the past 15 years.

"This is a public health problem," said Ashley Tiegs, Principal Investigator of the Seed Study.

During the weekend, she spoke to the Daily Mail about the results, which should be presented Monday at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Denver.

His team analyzed samples from fertility centers in the United States and Spain between 2002 and 2017.

"The total number of motile sperm has proven to be more productive for the outcome of pregnancy," Tiegs said. "This has also been correlated with embryo development and expansion pathways. We wanted to know if the total count of motile spermatozoa was affected and if it declined, what would be the consequences?

The Tiegs team not only found that the number of men seeking treatment had increased from 8,000 to 60,000 during this period, but the sperm count had also decreased.

In addition, the rate of men-related IVF cases has increased – and is expected to increase further.

"We did not expect to find that the downward trend in sperm count has a real impact on treatment," said Tiegs.

According to researchers, the average age of men undergoing fertility treatment is 36 years.

People with total motile sperm count between zero and 5 million are usually undergoing IVF treatment if they want to conceive.

An account of over 20 million is considered normal by the experts. The number of men whose sperm count is below average has dropped since 2002, according to Tiegs.

She attributed this drastic drop to "environmental factors such as plastics, smoking and obesity".

"We know that obesity is on the rise and that it affects sperm quality," said Tiegs. "It increases the risk of morbidity and mortality, but it can also affect offspring."

Tiegs' findings come a year after researchers at the Hebrew University and Icahn School of Mount Sinai published a 59% drop in sperm counts since 1973.