The concentration of French men sperm is severely reduced

The sperm concentration of French men decreased between 1989 and 2005, according to a new study also showed that there is less normal sperm formed in modern French semen.

This study is one of the largest studies to find a sperm quality decline, a global concern. Reports from several sperm banks, along with some scientific research, are mostly from developed countries, showing that something is wrong with these little swimmers. However, with incomplete data from before 1950 and unsuitable measurements around the world, it is difficult to know for sure whether semen is actually declining.

The new study, published Dec. 4 in Human Reproduction, is a study of more than 26,600 men over a period of more than 15 years.

"To our knowledge, it is the first study of the general decline in sperm concentration and the morphology of an entire country in a considerable time , " the authors write. "This gives a serious public health warning. A special link to the environment needs to be identified."

The researchers examined sperm samples of men who went to the fertility clinic because of the fertility problem of their wives or girlfriends. In other words, these men themselves have no problems with fertility.

Researchers found that in a 17-year period, sperm concentration in semen decreased by an average of 32.2%, with a rate of about 1.9% reduction each year. This is equivalent to a reduction of 73.6 million sperm per milliliter of sperm in 1989 with each 35-year-old man reaching a concentration of 49.9 million sperms per milliliter in 2005. (According to the Medical Organization. World Health, a man with 15 million sperms in a milliliter or higher is a normal fertility).

The study also found that healthy, well-shaped normal sperm count also decreased by 33.4% over the same time period. Researchers said that part of that figure may be due to advances in sperm shape measurement, but improved technology cannot explain the entire decline.

Previous studies in the UK have reported that sperm numbers in developed countries have halved between 1938 and 1990. Israeli sperm banks have recently reported that men have poor sperm quality. more, although other countries, such as Denmark, they have not found a decrease in sperm count or sperm quality, according to studies done on male populations.

French results cannot be generalized to other countries, the researchers said, but these results are a cause for warning. When a man has less than 55 sperm cells per milliliter, it may take more time for a conception couple, Joëlle Le Moal, an environmental health epidemiologist. At the Institut de Veille Sanitaire research institute in Saint Maurice, France, said in a statement.

Environmental factors affecting the number of spermatozoa may include hormonal chemicals that affect the body's hormones, change epigenetics (unchanged in the genome , but changes in the regulation of the genome, can be transmitted over generations), and obesity.

Le Moal said she hopes her team's warning will boost research and monitor sperm count on an international level. She and her team are planning to implement a surveillance system at hospitals in France.

"Our example can help other countries to implement their systems," Le Moal said. "The international surveillance system can be a good idea to understand what's happening on human reproductive results around the world, and evaluate future public health actions."