Decreased sperm quality

Introduction The decline in sperm quality means that the number of sperm, survival rate, activity capacity, density, etc. are reduced at the same volume level. Conventional semen analysis can mainly understand the amount of semen, sperm density and the total number of sperm in semen, sperm agglutination, sperm motility and viability, sperm morphology, semen liquefaction and other information.

Cause

1 Food packaging and cosmetics

According to a press release issued by the German Research Association, the reduction in the number of male sperm in the world over the past few decades may be related to a chemical called phthalate.

Phthalates are a class of chemicals that soften. They are commonly used in toys, food packaging, vinyl flooring, wallpaper, detergents, lubricants, nail polish, hair sprays, soaps and shampoos. Among hundreds of products, such as liquid, studies have shown that phthalates can interfere with endocrine, reduce the number of male sperm, low exercise capacity, abnormal morphology, and serious testicular cancer, which is the "culprit" of male reproductive problems. The culprit".

In cosmetics, nail polish has the highest phthalate content. It enters the body through the female respiratory system and skin, jeopardizing the reproductive system of the baby boy they will have in the future. Phthalates will also pass through plastics. Food and water packed in containers enter the human body, such as canned food coatings, recyclable milk and mineral water bottles. Studies have shown that foods with higher fat content in canned foods are more susceptible to contamination, such as pork, anchovies, sardines, etc. Fetus, infant and adolescent children are most sensitive to it, and health is also the most vulnerable. In order to reduce the harm of phthalate to human body, it is best not to use foamed plastic containers for instant noodles. Do not use polyvinyl chloride. The plastic container heats the food in a microwave oven. The correct way is to heat the food in a heat-resistant glassware or ceramic dish.

2 car exhaust

Car exhaust contains a lot of harmful substances, such as sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, etc. When the human body touches these substances for a long time, it will cause cumulative damage, which not only affects reproductive health, but also increases the incidence of diseases such as tumors. The most serious is automobile exhaust. The dioxins contained in the environment are extremely strong environmental endocrine disrupting substances, which can change the testicular morphology of males, reduce the number of sperm and reduce the spermatogenic ability.

3 smoke, wine

Smoking has always been a major enemy of physical health, and the impact on semen is equally obvious. Foreign studies have shown that smokers and non-smokers have significantly reduced the main indicators of semen quality, sperm deformity rate. Elevated, the number of white blood cells in semen increases. Nicotine and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons produced in tobacco cause testicular atrophy and sperm morphology changes. Alcohol has a direct effect on human liver and male testis. Studies have found that chronic alcoholism The patient will have testicular atrophy, which leads to a decrease in semen quality. Therefore, men must avoid frequent excessive drinking.

4 estrogen

Estrogen can have a significant effect on the male reproductive system, including affecting the level of androgen, causing changes in testicular tissue structure, causing testicular cancer, reducing the number of sperm in the semen, causing male breast development, leading to endocrine disorders. Male short-term use contains estrogen The drug does not have a significant impact on the reproductive system, but long-term exposure to estrogen-containing items in life can cause greater harm to reproductive health. For example, some men use skin care when using skin care. These cosmetics specially developed for women. Some of them contain certain estrogens, which can cause damage to male reproductive health and cause hypogonadism.

5 trace elements

Trace elements related to male fertility mainly include zinc, selenium, copper, calcium and magnesium. Zinc is an important element in the reproductive system. Zinc deficiency affects the development of male reproductive organs and secondary sexual characteristics in adolescence, and reduces sperm motility. It weakens the immune function of the body, making men susceptible to infectious diseases such as prostatitis and epididymitis. The lack of selenium will increase the concentration of peroxide in the body, causing damage to the male reproductive system and testicles. Therefore, men should eat more usually. Foods containing higher levels of zinc and selenium, such as milk, corn, black rice, black beans, etc.

6 temperature

High temperatures can cause damage to the testes, but how high the temperature and how long it will be exposed at this temperature will have an effect on the testes. There is still debate in the academic world. In animal experiments, male animals are placed at 38.5. After 55 minutes, the fertility will decrease. In real life, men should try to avoid staying in the high temperature environment for a long time, such as taking a sauna and taking a hot bath.

7 drugs

Anticancer, hormonal, antibiotics and other drugs can damage male gonadal function, resulting in decreased sperm number and quality, or affecting sexual endocrine function by affecting the endocrine function of the gonad. The effect of drugs on male fertility is affected by the type, dose, and course of treatment. The influence of factors such as the age of the patient. The larger the dose of the general drug, the longer the course of treatment, and the younger the patient, the more serious the damage to the reproductive function, and the longer it takes to restore the reproductive function. Currently, socially Health products are rampant, some contain sex hormones or similar ingredients, which may affect the normal spermatogenesis of testes. Unmarried people should be extra careful when choosing.

an examination

Related inspection

Semen examination semen liquefaction time sperm acrosome integrity rate examination semen bacterial sperm trajectory analysis

Liquefaction time: The semen just taken out is gelatinous, but completely liquefied within 60 minutes at room temperature. Incomplete liquefaction can affect sperm motility

The color and consistency of the pure pulp: the normal seminal pulp is gray-white jelly-like, and it is usually liquefied into a transparent liquid after 10 minutes. If it is too long (about 1 month), the first discharge of the semi-prep is not yellow. It is also normal.

Differential diagnosis

Sperm is rare: oligozoospermia is a man whose sperm count is lower than normal healthy fertility. It is now considered that the number of sperm is less than 20 million per ml for oligozoospermia. However, clinically, there are often changes in sperm motility, poor forward motility, and high sperm deformity. This is called weak azoospermia, which is a more common condition of male infertility.

Too many dead sperm: Death syndrome refers to multiple semen examinations, and sperm are dead. Under normal circumstances, semen should be more than 70% of sperm that survives within 1 hour of in vitro excretion. If more than 40% of dead sperm, it will affect conception. Sperm survival time should maintain a 6-hour survival rate of more than 20%, such as no survival of sperm within 6 hours, can cause infertility.

The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments.