A Fertility Scientist Breaks Down Why Sperm Count & Quality Are Declining + What We Can Do About It

It's no secret that male fertility is on the decline in the Western world.

For a little background, when it comes to sperm health, it's not just quantity that counts. Quality—which refers to the shape (morphology) and mobility (motility)—matters, too. Sperm quality also goes beyond these metrics. DNA errors in the sperm, problems with the Y chromosome, and, surprisingly, even the endocannabinoid system are all relevant to sperm maturation and health, as well. 

Now, there's a lot of data that indicate both sperm count and quality are declining. One 2017 meta-analysis consisting of 42,935 men—from Western countries including Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and North America—showed that sperm concentration and total sperm count declined by 50 to 60% in the four decades spanning 1973 to 2011. Another meta-analysis with 14,947 men across 61 studies suggests that this decline was already occurring as early as the 1930s1.

Moreover, the men included in these meta-analyses were not receiving fertility treatment or otherwise thought to be experiencing fertility challenges; therefore, the men most affected by the factors contributing to declines in sperm quantity were not included.

From a scientific standpoint, the jury is still out on why exactly sperm count and quality are declining. Nevertheless, there is one highly likely culprit: modern life.

What is it about modern life that is wreaking havoc on male fertility?

Try something with me: Search your mind's eye for a vivid movie of what your day looked like yesterday? Conjure up every detail you can: what you did, what you thought, what you worried about, what you consumed, how often you sat and what you were doing while sitting, and the details of the environment surrounding you.

Now do the same for an ordinary day in your grandfather's life when he was your age. This will require some imagination on your part, but consider the differences in what your grandfather did, what he thought and worried about, what he consumed, how often he sat and what he was doing while sitting, and the details of the environment surrounding your grandfather.

Before you even got to breakfast, you may have picked up the cell phone that was charging next to your bed, checked your email, and started scrolling social media. That means you started your day with a shot of stress over the demands in your inbox and social comparison.

While you stayed up late, your body was experiencing the cumulative impact of three things: (1) insufficient sleep for repair functions within the body; (2) continued stress and activation from social engagement and other activity; and (3) continued exposure to blue light from your home and your devices that told your body and brain that it was still daytime.

All of these things that I have already laid out affect your stress levels and your mental health. But think about how your thoughts and worries are different from your grandfather's, too. Your grandfather may have thought about keeping up with the Joneses next door, but he definitely wasn't comparing his bank account, lifestyle, masculinity, leadership ability, or other aspects of his status to thousands of people on social media.

The comforts and privileges of modern life are beautiful. The trick is to keep ourselves grounded in the simplicity of the world that the human brain, body, and fertility evolved to survive and thrive in.

At The Fertility & Pregnancy Institute, we teach how to do just that with the best-kept fertility secret: the Primemester™.

The Primemester™ is the 120-plus days leading up to conception, and it is one of the most important and valuable windows of opportunity that we will ever have as human beings. It is during this window when we can literally change the quality and expression of the genes that we will pass down to our children (and grandchildren), through a process called epigenetics.

Gene expression becomes activated or suppressed based on how you interact with each 24-hour period and season. That includes how you sleep, what you think and worry about, what you consume and surround yourself with, how you move (or don't move) your body, and how you connect with other beings and nature.