Scientists and doctors agree that transmissibility is decreasing overall. male fertility — but they don’t know why.
Social media buzz points to several environmental exposures as potential contributing factors, including cell phones and electric vehicles.
But the reality is “much more complex” than that, according to experts interviewed recently. national geographic.
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It is not clear whether this decline is at the point where it should be considered a crisis, but the figures show that overall fertility (measured demographically by the number of babies born compared to women of childbearing age) is declining.
Dr. Alex Robles of the Columbia University Fertility Center in New York acknowledged that clinicians are “definitely seeing an increase in the number of couples in which male factors are contributing to infertility.”
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“At least a third of the couples we rate have some kind of male component,” he told FOX News Digital.
A 2017 meta-analysis published in Oxford Journals: Human Reproduction Update found that: number of sperm Since 1973, there has been a global decline of almost 60% in Western countries. The 2023 update confirmed similar results.
The study’s lead author, epidemiologist Hagai Levin, warned that unaddressed trends could lead to human extinction.
“This is the canary in the coal mine,” Levine, a public health physician at Hebrew University’s Hadassah Brown School of Public Health, told National Geographic. “As predicted by declining sperm counts, this means there is something very wrong with our current environment. Morbidity and mortality. ”
However, these findings are contradicted by other studies. In 2025, the Cleveland Clinic analyzed 53 years of research and found that sperm counts remained stable.
“There is no evidence to suggest that this decline is the cause of the rapid decline in performance. cause pregnancy” Scott Lundy, a reproductive urologist at the Cleveland Clinic and lead author of the study, told NatGeo. “Most men have no problems conceiving even if their sperm count decreases slightly.”
Multiple lifestyle factors can lead to decreased fertility in men, Robles noted. including obesitynot just smoking and diet, but also environmental exposures and delayed parenting.
National Geographic also reported that heavy drinking and marijuana use directly contribute to decreased fertility, and that quitting these habits while exercising and losing weight can also help.
Systemic inflammation, infection, and disease can also have a “significant and profound impact on the status of fertility,” Randi told NatGeo.
People who are recovering from a fever caused by an infectious disease, Influenza or new coronavirusHis sperm count would be “significantly reduced” for three months, he said.
Robles says male infertility can also be a marker of overall health. “Poor semen parameters are associated with other medical conditions and may indicate underlying metabolic, hormonal or environmental issues,” he told Fox News Digital.
Alan Pacey, deputy dean of the School of Biology, Medicine and Health at the University of Manchester, told NatGeo that the decline could be due to increased use of contraception and men waiting longer to have children or choosing not to have them at all.
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Experts say microplastics have also been mentioned on social media as a potential culprit, but their impact is unclear.
there is some evidence endocrine disrupting chemicals This is a substance found in reusable plastics and some disposable products that alters male fertility, Lundy revealed to NatGeo.
Concerns are circulating on social media, including: store your phone Putting it in your front pocket can have a negative effect on male fertility. Lundy said such an effect is biologically possible, but there is currently no scientific evidence to support that claim.
Another common myth is that infertility is primarily a female problem, but about one-third to one-half of all cases are due to male factors, Robles noted.
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He added that the claim that taking supplements increases sperm count is also a myth and is not supported by strong scientific evidence.
“Men should focus on the factors we know are important, such as maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol, and managing chronic health conditions,” Robles advised.
Experts recommend seeing a urologist to address infertility concerns. Robles said his approach includes evaluation, semen analysis, hormone testing and medical historywhile also exploring lifestyle factors.
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In addition to traditional treatment options, Robles said her fertility center also utilizes the following treatments: advanced tools Something that incorporates AI and robotics.
“Technology like this expands options for patients who previously had very limited paths to biological parentage,” he said.
