Sperm health, and therefore male fertility, is declining worldwide. So what's causing this? And what can we do?
“The process of producing high-quality sperm is intensive. When men are exposed to external or internal stress, various processes involved in sperm production and maintenance begin to malfunction,” said Jeff de Iulis, associate professor of infertility and reproductive medicine at HMRI.
“Sperm cells are very unique and don't have the same defense strategies as other cells, meaning they are one of the first cell types to be affected by poor health. This susceptibility is the basis for the classic trope around the idea that sperm cells are like the canary in the coal mine for a man's overall health,” he says.
So how can a man know the health of his sperm?
“Many of the basic tests, such as sperm count and motility, can be carried out by pathology services or IVF clinics and give us a good insight into the overall health of our sperm.
“In our research programme, we regularly test semen samples for a number of sperm quality markers, and some of the tests go quite deep – for example, we can dig down to the level of sperm DNA to identify how intact their precious paternal genomic cargo is,” says Associate Professor de Julius.
As for environmental factors, there are several that are known to damage sperm: heat stress, per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFAS, aka “forever chemicals”), and acrylamide, a natural compound produced by caramelizing or toasting foods.
“PFAS are relatively new to us – we've been investigating this class of molecules for the last five years or so,” says Associate Professor de Iulis. “So far we've found that they have limited direct effects on the sperm cells themselves, but that doesn't mean that these molecules don't have an impact on our biology.”
“Recent research led by program members Dr. Jacinta Martin and PhD student Dr. Leah Calvert suggests that sperm exposed to these compounds, while not obviously damaged themselves, may be responsible for altering the molecular programming observed in the early stages of the embryos they deliver. Additionally, some research suggests that sex hormones may also be affected by these man-made and persistent PFAS chemicals.”
Another unseen factor the fertility team is looking into is exposure to wireless devices.
Associate Professor de Julius said: “We know that under controlled experimental conditions, sperm can be damaged when exposed to electromagnetic energy – the same energy/fields/radiation used in current wireless communication technology. Let me be clear here: we don't yet know whether these factors will damage sperm in 'real life'. But we have shown beyond a doubt that there could be a risk, even if very small. Our ongoing research is currently working on better managing this risk. Of course, I hope that there is no real need to be alarmed, but in any case I think we all want to know for sure.”
Associate Professor Jeff de Iulis
Want to improve your sperm health?
The good news for men who want to improve their sperm health is that there are some easy steps you can take.
Although sperm health naturally declines with age (typically around age 45, when testosterone levels begin to moderately decline), unlike women who have a fixed pool of eggs, men continually produce fresh sperm, around 1,000 per second.
This means that if you make a conscious effort to improve your overall health by eating a healthy diet, quitting smoking (this is important), reducing your alcohol intake, and increasing your exercise, you'll likely see improved sperm health after about two months.
“Getting this information out to the community is a big part of what we do as the HMRI research programme,” Associate Professor de Iulis said.
“For men who have tried these low-intervention strategies to improve their sperm health but haven't seen the results they wanted, there are further approaches we are now testing that are the culmination of decades of research and involve very specific antioxidant supplements that could have significant benefits for a select cohort of men,” he says.
What men need to know about sperm
“Sperm health is a very good indicator of your overall health, and the better your overall health, the better your chances of producing healthy sperm.”
“Sperm quality is important for your immediate fertility, but it can also have a long-term impact on the health of future generations, including the fertility of your children and grandchildren. This really highlights how important it is to look after your health when planning a pregnancy,” Associate Professor de Iulis said.
