Chemicals cause a decline in sperm quality – what can we do?

Epidemiologist Shanna Swan writes in her book that today, men are half as fertile as they’re grandfathers were. And if the trend continues, people might reach a point where the human race will no longer reproduce itself. How is that possible? New research shows that there is a decrease in sperm counts, caused by many things like obesity, smoking, alcohol, and lack of sport. But there are also other causes more hidden, especially related to chemicals – endocrine disruptors, that shake the balance of hormones in your body. One big cause for this is plastics, which contains phthalates. When these chemicals enter your body, they can make it produce less testosterone, and in conclusion, less sperm. The solution? First, don’t panic. Things are not impossible to fix and there are remedies and solutions to improving reproductive functions, such as sperm collecting at a sperm bank and other solutions that concern the health of your sperm. It can simply start with what you eat.

A balanced diet like a Mediterranean one, that includes a lot of veggies, fruits, chicken and fish can improve your sperm quality. Because a lot of the food we eat nowadays is treated with pesticides and chemicals and that’s not good for your sperm or hormones. Doctors say that people could improve their semen quality by eating more fruit and vegetables, but only if they are low in pesticide residue. The plastic and chemicals have started to grow after the Second World War, meaning during the ‘60s mainly. And for many years, noone payed attention to the side effects and alarms raised around pesticides, unlike today when the majority knows that plastics are bad for the environment. Especially single-use plastics – as these are also harming the fauna and flora and mostly the wildlife. People are also getting exposed and like animals, suffer from chemicals. Maybe you don’t have a plastic ring around your neck, but you are affected by plastic entering your body through soaps, care products and others and also your sperm is affected as much as the eggs for women. Today, people need to educate themselves on the risks of chemicals more than ever. Some governments are pressured to offer safer chemicals that do not have such alarming effects on the human body. However, there is still a very long way to go forward. Because unfortunately, plastics are put into a lot of personal care items and products to increase absorption. Creams contain phthalates because they increase absorption – who wants to use a cream and see it on the skin, not absorbed, half an hour later?

There are also plastics used for food and drinks, and particles end up in your meals or beverage, containing phthalates. These little bastards leave the plastic and enter the food unfortunately, and so on, into your body. The most risk you have it’s with processed food. So yes, we need to pay attention more to what we eat for general health but also for the sperm quality. Many people fear that the lack of quality sperm may downgrade their fertility rate. Because hormones and their balance affect not only sperm, but libido and the frequency of sex as well. A lot of chemicals that get into your products that you buy for your household, like a Teflon pan, are disruptive for your hormones. It’s like you would participate in a study that you didn’t sign up for! So, make sure you can be a parent when you want and also prevent future diseases by paying attention to what you consume on a daily basis. You just have to know what works for you and start doing the things that will increase your sperm quality. Be proactive!