Dr. Sinatra's HeartMD Institute

Low Sperm Count and Male Infertility – It’s No Mystery

Stephen Sinatra
man on cell phone low sperm count more common today

When a business colleague forwarded me an article from the New York Times about the continuing decline in male fertility, all I could do was sigh.

“Sperm Count in Western Men Has Dropped Over 50 Percent Since 1973, Paper Finds,” the headline read.

I’ve had my eye on this trend for a while now. Fifty years ago, infertility was predominantly a women’s problem. But lately we’ve seen the tables turn, with the problem affecting more and more men.

Why the change? The authors of the study didn’t really speculate, but I will.

Sperm + Toxins = Infertility

To me, the answer to why we’re seeing more male fertility problems is a no-brainer. It’s the insane number of toxins in our environment.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 10,000 times—we live in a sea of chemicals. They’re in our food, water, air, personal care and household products, homes, neighborhoods, and even our electronics. And guess what? The three organs in the body that are most vulnerable to toxins are the heart, brain, and reproductive system.

So it’s no surprise to me that we’re seeing an upswing not only in fertility problems, but also in neurological diseases and cardiovascular issues.

When you look at the data, there’s evidence of falling sperm counts in men for several decades. Some research suggests that this could be the long-term influence of chemicals known as “endocrine disrupters,” and I agree. These substances—which include chemicals like phthalates—are present in a lot of common household items, food containers and packaging, and personal care products. Exposure has been shown to affect how our sex hormones function, and in the case of male sperm, these toxins can change their shape and their ability to swim, which makes them less able to find and fertilize the female’s egg.

Another major issue I see is the electromagnetic radiation emitted by our phones, computers, wifi, and other electronics. These frequencies (EMF) have been shown to have similar debilitating effects on sperm. That can’t be helping the young men who grew up carrying a cell phone in their pocket and who now have their eyes on starting a family.

Protect Yourself (and Your Future Children)

What can we do to stop the downward trend?

First, we need to understand that this research is a wake-up call for all of us—and, figuratively speaking, we need to pick up the phone.

The best thing you can do is take steps to help you produce healthier sperm in the future. My heart patients will tell you that I’m fond of saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” That’s true—and it’s true with fertility as well. You don’t want to do things that cause you to create sperm that don’t swim or reproduce well.

Here are the three biggest things you’ll want to do…

1. Avoid Known Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals

There are a lot of chemicals that can affect our hormones, but you can get familiar with the worst offenders by reading a free guide from the Environmental Working Group called “Dirty Dozen Endocrine Disruptors.” I’d start by learning about phthalates, PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals), and glycol ethers.

Then I’d commit to doing these two things—

2. Be Smart With Your Cell Phone

Even though we’re bombarded with EMF from virtually all directions day and night, I still worry most about the radiation we absorb from cell phones. Not because I have some kind of grudge against them, but because we carry our phones everywhere with us—usually on or very close to our bodies—and that makes them a uniquely dangerous source of EMF exposure.

I’m a pragmatist, so I’m not going to tell you to give up your cell phone. But I will tell you that if you want to protect your fertility, you need to learn how to be productive with it, without being self-destructive.

Here are a few tips that I follow when I use my own phone—

3. Keep Your Laptop or Tablet Off Your Lap!

As tempting as it may be to sit on the couch with your laptop resting on your upper thighs and use the Internet via a WiFi connection – Don’t! About 5-6 years ago, Argentinian researchers conducted a study with 29 healthy men and found that 4 hours of WiFi radiation exposure via a laptop computer resulted in decreased sperm motility and DNA damage. This led them to speculate that “keeping a laptop connected wirelessly to the internet on the lap near the testes may result in decreased male fertility.” That was enough for me, given what we know already about how cell phones affect sperm…My advice is simple: use your laptop or tablet on a table or desk – not your lap –  and, if possible, use an Ethernet connection instead.

As the father of three of my own children, who are now grown with kids of their own, I can tell you that nothing has given me more joy in my life than they have. Becoming a parent is truly one of life’s greatest gifts. I hope you’ll protect yourself so you can experience these joys as well.

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