A trend threatening the next generations of the developed world

Last week, the journal Human Reproduction Update, edited by the University of Oxford, published the results of a research that showed a reduction in the number of spermatozoa.

The reduction can be characterized as drastic because it is more than half of the spermatozoa. The survey covered 43,000 men from North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The tests were conducted between 1973 and 2011. The former showed an average of 99 million sperm per milliliter of sperm, and the latter, about 47 million per milliliter.

Antonio Braga, from UFRJ and UFF, who noted the lack of explanation. Oxford's scientific journal makes no argument about the causes of this decline.
Professor Carlos Calhaz Jorge, professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon, also highlighted this lack in his commentary to the newspaper.

He comes, therefore, with an attempt to explain:

"The causes of this reduction in numbers (other studies also suggest changes in the quality) of sperm are unknown. It is assumed to be related to environmental factors such as the quality of the air we breathe and food contaminated with a huge diversity of chemicals Industry, modern agricultural methods.) Hence, the most developed societies are those in which the phenomenon is most evident. "

Dr. Calhaz Jorge suggests that lifestyle also has to do with this sad phenomenon: obesity and smoking "will certainly have an important contribution" in reducing the quantity of spermatozoa and, therefore, in the reproductive power of man.

With this agreement also the Portuguese Fertility Association (APFertilidade), a voluntary organization based in Lisbon.

"While the data may be surprising given the fact that there has been a decline in lifestyles in developed countries, fueled by stress, sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating, and increased consumption of chemical-treated food, the typical fast-food , As well as tobacco, drugs or pollution, it is natural that this influences human health. In the case of men, this influence also manifests in a negative way in the production of spermatozoa and consequently in their fertility, "said Sputnik Brazil Cláudia Bancaleiro, APFertility representative.

Cláudia Bancaleiro returns to the problem of the lifestyle talking about the main problems of demography in contemporary Portugal:

"It is estimated that marital infertility affects 10 to 15% of the reproductive age population and has increased in recent years due to causes as diverse as postponing maternity, initiating an early sexual life with multiple partners ( Problems of infections), sedentary lifestyle, eating habits, excessive consumption of tobacco, alcohol and drugs and even more especially because of pollution. "

After all, what we have now is a trend that does not yet have a proven explanation. Before having a detailed research on the causes that have triggered this trend, it is early to panic.

"But if this trend continues (or worsen), this may be a very important problem for the next generations," stresses Dr. Calhaz Jorge.

However, the APFertilidade expressed to the newspaper the hope that "the decrease of infertile couples is a reality in the medium term".