FOCUS: MEN’S THRIVABILITY


Where are the fertile fathers?


The World Health Organization (WHO) recently reported that men’s fertility rates have dropped to dramatic levels in the developed world. The question is…why?


by Ruth Sharkey


DECLINING FERTILITY IN WESTERN MEN No article on men’s health can be complete without some mention of the declining sexual fertility in the current generation. Too many people still consider any reason for a couple’s inability to conceive to be a purely female problem; the male is assumed perfect, yet science is proving this is not the case. During my twenty-two years of


working with conception care, the number of so-called infertile couples was one in six; with more female than male problems. Now almost twenty years later that number has risen to where fertility issues are equal in both sexes. I lost count of the number of times couples asked ’Why us? How come we are affected and other couples get children they don’t want?’ One recent report begun in 1973


and finished in 2011 by the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, went so far as to say the sperm count in men from Western countries including the USA, Europe, and Australia have the lowest sperm count in the world. With the sperm concentration declining more than 50% during the time the data was collected, this strongly suggests this has been caused by the overall bad


32 SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2017


health of men in these countries. How can that be? Aren’t we recognised as being great lovers of sport? One answer could be that although


our men do love their sport, too often they watch the game with a can of their favourite beverage handy, rather than participate. This answer is however much too simplistic, there are a lot more reasons why today’s young men are not as fertile as their fathers.


THE PREVALENCE OF HORMONE-DISRUPTING CHEMICALS Since the Second World War our planet has been saturated with hormone- disrupting chemicals. These substances called xenoestrogens (xeno from the Greek word ‘strange’) are a group of synthetic hormones used in the manufacture of the contraceptive pill, phthalates, pesticides, PCB’s, herbicides, and plastic containers. These substances are inhaled and


enter the human body through the food chain, where they mimic the action of naturally occurring hormones, disrupting the testosterone production that is needed to make healthy sperm. If the testosterone levels are out of balance sperm production becomes


compromised. This not only affects the current generation but also the developing foetuses in pregnant women, leading to the next generation being born with low testosterone levels. Other commonly used hormone-


disrupting chemicals include: paints, fire retardants (used in our carpets, soft furnishings, and building materials), petro-chemicals, and formaldehydes (which are used widely in the carpentry trades). There are literally hundreds of chemicals used in our environment that can affect the quality and count of sperm, erectile power, the libido, and our moods. Continual exposure to toxic chemicals in the workplace can also cause psychological and other endocrine hormonal imbalances. If you are working with or taking a substance that you suspect is causing ill effects, go online and check it out; if it is harmful it will be well documented.


STRESS AND FERTILITY Stress too has a detrimental effect on hormone production. As concern turns to anxiety and depression, the heart rate speeds up, which increases the blood pressure, and the whole system switches to full alert. If the body is in this state of fight or flight


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