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35A - Sperm Counts Are Falling Worldwide

For

from Section VI - Male-factor Infertility

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 November 2021

By
Garima Srivastava
Edited by
Roy Homburg ,
Adam H. Balen  and
Robert F. Casper
Roy Homburg
Affiliation:
Homerton University Hospital, London
Adam H. Balen
Affiliation:
Leeds Centre for Reproductive Medicine
Robert F. Casper
Affiliation:
Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
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Summary

The deterioration of semen quality was first reported in 1974 by Nelson and Bunge. The topic has sparked plenty of controversy around the globe since Carlson et al. published their review in 1992 about the decreasing quality of semen in the past 50 years. It divided the scientific community for and against the topic for a long time without any firm conclusion. Looking at the evidence published so far I am convinced that there has been a temporal and spatial decline in the sperm counts worldwide.

Type
Chapter
Information
50 Big Debates in Reproductive Medicine , pp. 179 - 180
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

Carlsen, E, Giwercman, A, Keiding, N, Skakkebaek, NE. Evidence for decreasing quality of semen during past 50 years. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 1992;48(3):200–2.Google Scholar
Bahadur, G, Ling, KLE, Katz, M. Statistical modelling reveals demography and time are the main contributing factors in global sperm count changes between 1938 and 1996. Hum Reprod. 1996;11(12):2635–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Swan, SH, Elkin, EF, Fenster, L. Have sperm densities declined? A reanalysis of global trend data. Environ Health Perspect. 1997;105(11):1228–32.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Levine, H, Jørgensen, N, Martino-Andrade, A, et al. Temporal trends in sperm count: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis. Hum Reprod Update. 2017;23(6):646–59.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mishra, P, Negi, MPS, Srivastava, M, et al. Decline in seminal quality in Indian men over the last 37 years. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2018;16:103. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12958-018-0425-z.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sengupta, P, Dutta, S, Krajewska-Kulak, E. The disappearing sperms: analysis of reports published between 1980 and 2015. Am J Men’s Health. 2017;11(4):1279–1304.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

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