Post Date December, 03 2023
The birth alarm has been sounded
The American science fiction film "The Son of Man" describes a terrible scene for us: In 2027, humans somehow lost their fertility, and it has been 18 years since a newborn was born. Human society has fallen into panic and chaos... Art originates from life - as the quality of male semen continues to decline globally, the "eligibility line" for semen quality has been constantly lowered. Theo, an American writer? In his book "Our Stolen Future," Colburn warns that infertility may become a widespread epidemic, and by the middle of the 21st century, men may become completely infertile, leading to the extinction of humanity in a generation. Saving sperm is not alarmist.
Since 1980, every ten years, the World Health Organization has investigated multiple men who have had children within a year, analyzed their sperm density, sperm motility, sperm morphology, and other semen indicators, and taken the average value. Based on this, a "qualified line" for semen quality has been established. The Technical Manual for Human Semen Analysis Laboratories (hereinafter referred to as the "Manual") has been published.
Over the years, the "qualified line" has repeatedly declined. Taking sperm density as an example, the first edition of the Manual in 1980 stated that there should be 60 million sperm per milliliter of semen, while the fourth edition decreased to 20 million. By the fifth edition in 2010, the number of sperm had dropped to 15 million, a quarter of what it had been 30 years ago.
In other words, men who had semen problems more than a decade ago can now be considered normal by the latest standards.
More and more azoospermia
The situation of male semen in China is in line with international standards. According to the data released by the Institute of Science and Technology of the National Population and Family Planning Commission, from 1981 to 1996, the quality of male semen in China decreased by 1% annually.
The decline in the quality of male semen in China is not only reflected in the decrease in various semen indicators, but also in the increase in severe diseases. The urology department of Peking University's Third Hospital once conducted a survey of infertile men in outpatient clinics from 2004 to 2008, and found that the proportion of azoospermia was increasing, from 6% to 10%.
Azspermia is the complete absence of sperm in the semen. If a patient has testicular spermatogenesis disorders, they can usually only use a sperm bank to provide sperm or adopt a child.
The common types of "unqualified" semen quality include the following:
Azoospermia - absence of sperm in semen;
Oligospermia - low sperm count;
Asthenospermia - low sperm motility;
Teratospermia - High sperm abnormality rate.
Why does semen quality decline?
Male spermatogenic cells are particularly sensitive to various toxic substances, and it is difficult to know how many factors in total can cause damage to them. However, there are three factors that definitely have an impact on semen quality:
Poisonous environment, like boiling frogs in warm water
Environmental pollution and food safety issues are one of the factors that experts generally believe will affect semen quality, but are unclear about the specific mechanisms.
Teenagers often eat fast food and snacks, which is equivalent to eating a large amount of additives and preservatives. The most common rice and fish on the Chinese table may also contain heavy metals and estrogen. This will definitely have an impact on the development of young people's genitals. Over the years, not only has the quality of male semen declined, but there is also an increasing phenomenon of premature ovarian failure in women.
WeChat swipes away "energy"
The effects of fatigue and tension are immediate.
Modern people's work pressure is significantly greater than before, and there are more unhealthy living habits than before. Staying up late, smoking and drinking alcohol, surfing the Internet and WeChat whenever they have time, all of which greatly consume people's energy and physical strength. There is no clear evidence of the relationship between radiation from computers and mobile phones and the decline in semen quality, but there is also some impact.
Semen problems, "root cause" or in infancy
In men as a whole, the reason for the decline in semen quality is unclear, but for some men, the cause is very clear, which is a birth defect.
According to a report from the National Health and Family Planning Commission in 2013, the incidence of birth defects in China is on the rise, with approximately 900000 birth defects per year. The incidence of birth defects that can cause semen problems, such as cryptorchidism and congenital absence of vas deferens, has also increased in recent years.
Some boys are born with their testicles hidden in the abdominal cavity, known medically as cryptorchidism. Parents should take their children for surgical treatment before they are half a year old, which has a better therapeutic effect. When treated after the age of 2, the testicles often lose their spermatogenic function, and boys may develop azoospermia as they grow up.
Male Fertility Should Be "Early"
Men should protect their "energy" and minimize bad living habits. It is best to give birth as early as possible at the golden age of 25 to 35 years of age, when fertility is the best, especially for men who are frequently exposed to chemicals, radiation, and high temperatures, such as hairdressers, computer programmers, and welding workers.
As men age, the damage of poor lifestyles and environmental pollution to the testicles and seminal vesicles will continue to accumulate. At first, the quality of semen is slightly poor, but later on, it may develop into a disease and cause infertility. Currently, about half of infertile couples are related to male factors.
After the golden age of procreation, women's fertility plummets like a steep slope, reaching menopause, and suddenly drops to zero. However, men's fertility decreases like a gentle slope, not as significantly as women's. However, the overall trend is still downward, with testicular function, androgen levels, and semen quality all on the decline. Fertility is like planting crops. The sexual function of middle-aged and elderly men is good, which can only indicate that they can successfully complete the sowing behavior. However, the seeds they sow are not of good quality, and it is difficult to blossom and bear fruit.
