Scientists have for a while been sounding the alarm about diminishing sperm counts in the world and it now appears Kenya is among the numerous nations faced by this nerve-wracking situation. The reproductive health of the average male is said to be in sharp decline according to the world largest study of the quality and concentration of sperm.

LOW SPERM COUNT AND POOR SEMEN QUALITY

On Tuesday this week, under the headline ‘Dwindling Assets: Is this the beginning of the end?’, DN2, the pullout in the Daily Nation, featured the same subject.

Speaking to DN2, Dr Solomon Wasike of the Royal Garden Hospital mentioned that more young men are having sperm problems that were earlier common with much older men.

Statistics from Nairobi IVF centre show that low sperm count (oligospermia) a condition where a man has less than 20 million sperm per millilitre in the ejaculate and poor sperm quality are emerging as major infertility issues among men. The average sperm count today is between 20 and 40 million per millilitre.

CAUSES OF LOW SPERM COUNT IN MEN

Declining sperm counts in countries across the world have been attributed to several factors which all boil down to a change in lifestyle. These include tight underwear, toxins in the environment, smoking and alcohol and saturated fats among others.

Last month The New York Daily News reported that a new study found that young Danish men who consumed the most saturated fats had significantly lower concentrations of sperm. Researchers found that young Danish men who ate the most saturated fats had 38% lower concentration of sperm, and 41% lower sperm count in their semen, than those who ate the least fat.

Examples of foods containing a high proportion of saturated fats include animal fats such as cream, cheese, butter, and fatty meats.

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR SPERM COUNT

Well, despite the worrying statistics experts believe that a change of lifestyle is the only way to increase a man’s sperm count.

Smoking is believed to impair sperm count and motility as well as reduce the lifespan of sperm. Alcohol is also said to lower the production of sperm and of the male hormone testosterone, so if you can lower your intake of the two, or better still quit altogether, you will be a proud billionaire of the endangered specimen.

Observing a healthy diet would serve you a great deal too as far as increasing your sperm count is concerned. Eat nutritious food, which is low in fat and high in protein, vegetables and whole grains.

Are you a fanatic of lubricants and vaginal tablets? Well, you might need to reconsider this as excessive usage of the same, they say, can kill sperm cells.

And just as the directive goes for all important health products, “keep in a cool dry place”, protect your testicles from too much heat! As hilarious as it may sound placing your laptop on your lap can pass excessive heat to your testicles. Laptops, which reach high internal operating temperatures, can heat up the scrotum, which could affect the quality and quantity of sperms.