Even though when we talk about fertility the spotlight is normally placed on the woman for her obvious leading role in the pregnancy and birth, when a couple look to become pregnant naturally the man as well as the woman have an equal share of relevance and both play a starring role. In addition generally speaking there is a factor which allows for the measurement of fertility in men: sperm quality.
Sperm quality can be evaluated in many ways. Its volume after ejaculation should be between two and five millilitres and its surface viscosity is also an indicator of its quality. On a more in depth level the sperm quality can also be evaluated taking into account its number, form, concentration and DNA fragmentation.
However, regardless of the value judgements, there is a fact which has been demonstrated during the last few years which has important scientific backing: on a global level, sperm quality is currently much lower than not so many years ago. In fact, according to the Human Reproduction Update put together by Oxford University, this decrease can be quantified as follows: 60% less quality in the last four decades.
The male is responsible for approximately a third of infertility cases. This implies that a general low quality sperm count can have an immense effect worldwide on global reproduction: the Human Reproduction Update study states that concentration of spermatozoa is reducing by a rate of 1’6% per year, which translates into a extremely negative trend for the decades to come.
In the decade of the 70’s, a standard ejaculation contained on average 337 million spermatozoa. Forty years on, the comparison is awful: just over 137 million, that’s to say, nearly 60% less. This spermatic concentration, which in forty years has left practically six out of every ten spermatozoa out of the game, continues to freefall.
More stressful lifestyles, less healthy diets and a more sedentary life all play a role in this descent. However, there is a factor which affects both men and women in an equal form: the passing of time. Seminal quality can maintain itself at normal levels in men compared to the fertile capacity of women: the male organism produces millions of spermatozoa every day at ages in which the ovule production -and its quality- in women is practically non-existent. The worry relating to advanced aging exists in both cases, but in men this isn’t a problem until much later.
The answer to the initial question is crystal clear. Yes, the sperm quality worldwide nowadays is far lower than it used to be some years ago. It is becoming more commonplace that the man holds the answer to the question of infertility in a couple, as compared to the situation some decades ago. But in saying this, he now has the possibility to adopt those habits, which will give fertility more of a fighting chance and which will lessen the risk factors that are controllable.
Likewise, in UR Vistahermosa International – your assisted reproduction clinic in Spain – we have at your complete disposition a range of treatments which can help to ensure that this is no longer a problem.
