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UK Sperm Counts Down
By 30% In Last 14 Years

By Celia Hall
Medical Editor
The Telegraph - UK
1-5-4
 
The largest British study into sperm counts has found that they have fallen by almost 30 per cent in 14 years, researchers announce today.
 
The survey, based on almost 16,000 semen samples taken between 1989 and 2002, lends weight to concerns that sperm counts are falling.
 
But it is a controversial area because an accurate number for "normal" sperm counts is not precisely known and some studies have failed to find evidence of a reduction.
 
Members of the British Fertility Society and the Association of Clinical Psychologists, meeting in Liverpool, will hear that counts fell by 29 per cent in men taking part in a study in Scotland.
 
Dr Siladitya Bhattacharya, consultant at the assisted conception unit, Aberdeen University, and senior lecturer, found that counts fell from about 87 million per millilitre in 1989 to 62 million by 2002.
 
All the men attended the Aberdeen Fertility Centre and had counts in the normal range. Counts of below 20 million are considered abnormal and at a level where a man may not be able to father a child.
 
Dr Bhattacharya said the results were significant. The level of 62 million did not affect a man's fertility, "but we need to know if the counts are going to continue to fall.
 
"We cannot say there has been a fall in male fertility... but the drop in sperm counts must cause some concern and needs to be explained."
 
Dr Bhattacharya said there were two broad reasons for the reduction: environment and genetic factors.
 
Other research has pointed to increased oestrogen in water supplies, the result of women's use of the Pill and hormone replacement therapy.
 
Industrial processes have also been blamed, including the use of solvents and high concentrations of lead.
 
A recent paper suggested that plastic-lined nappies might play a part because they raised the temperature of baby boys' scrotums.
 
© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2004.
 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news
/2004/01/05/nsperm05.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/01/05/ixhome.html
 

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