Fears over fertility as sperm counts plummet

RESEARCH showing that sperm counts have dropped by almost a third in a decade have prompted renewed concerns about male fertility.

A study of 7,500 men, who attended the Aberdeen Fertility Centre between 1989 and 2002, showed that average sperm concentrations fell by nearly 30%.

Lead researcher Dr Siladitya Bhattacharya said this was a cause for concern and the reasons behind it needed to be explained.

It is believed that in the past 50 years, sperm counts around the world have fallen by almost 50%.

Drug use, alcohol, smoking and obesity are among the factors most frequently blamed for a decline in the number and quality of sperm.

Researchers conducting the SPIN (Semen Parameters in the Northeast) study analysed 16,000 semen samples from men attending the Aberdeen clinic.

They found that the average sperm count of those men with a 'normal' concentration defined as over 20 million sperm per millilitre fell from 87 million/ml to 62 million/ml over 14 years a drop of 29%.

The preliminary results of their study were being presented at the joint meeting of the Association of Clinical Embryologists and the British Fertility Society.

The researchers, from the University of Aberdeen and Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, are now looking at other aspects of semen quality that may affect fertility such as the movement and appearance of the sperm.

Dr Bhattacharya said their research, though still at an early stage, showed there was a need for more studies on the possible causes of the drop in sperm count.

"There could be a number of lifestyle factors which could play a role in this.

"It just highlights the need for research to discover what these reasons might be as well as the need for further studies elsewhere in the country to see if they support our results," he said.

Dr Bhattacharya said that from these results alone they could not conclude that there had been a fall in male fertility because factors other than simple sperm count played a part.

"There has been an increase in men seeking treatment for male infertility, but whether this is due to a significant increase in this condition or because men are more aware of new techniques which have been developed to help them, we cannot say.