Average global sperm count has dropped by 51.6%, says Oxford University study

Hyderabad: In the same month that the world’s population passed the 8 billion mark, new research published in the journal Human Reproduction Update, published by Oxford University Press, shows that sperm counts are rapidly declining.

Epidemiologists Hagai Levine and Shanna Swan and colleagues pooled all available data from 1973 to 2018. Data comes from over 50 countries including India.

The meta-analyzed data showed that the mean sperm concentration decreased by 51.6% from an estimated 101.2m/mL to 49.0m/mL.

The total sperm count also fell by 62.3% over the same period. The same team that conducted the study also published another report in 2017 titled “Trends in sperm count: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis.” The report found that sperm concentrations had more than halved over the past 40 years.

The latest reports also suggest that people may soon experience a reproductive crisis. If a man’s sperm concentration falls below 40 million per milliliter, it can affect his chances of fertility.

Experts around the world say exposure to man-made chemicals, poor diet, lack of exercise, poor diet, smoking and obesity may be partly to blame for the decline in average sperm counts.

While not all men are expected to be present at infertility centers in the near future, pregnancies could take longer if current trends continue.