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Are we running out of sperm?

From Howtown.
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Ad-read music:

"Dover" by The Westerlies

Chapters:

00:00 where you live

00:59 the sperm debate

01:27 quality issues??

03:18 the global decline measured

03:52 walter filters for sale!

05:03 counting sperm is hard

05:44 the "confetti factory"

07:32 a sticky problem

09:41 how to end the debate

12:11 what caused the cold spot?

12:49 the Seveso disaster

14:04 pesticides shmesticides

14:44 endocrine disruptors 101

16:08 what effects sperm?

17:28 fertility worries

19:02 final thoughts

20:04 credits

Are sperm counts declining? Are microplastics and pesticides affecting male fertility? Does a low sperm count mean you’ll struggle to have children? Howtown investigates the science behind male infertility and headlines warning of a global “sperm crisis” or “spermageddon.”

With Dr. Esh and researchers Hagai Levine, Shanna Swan, Allan Pacey, and Dolores Lamb, we examine sperm concentration, sperm motility, sperm morphology, and why semen analysis is surprisingly difficult. What do the influential sperm count meta-analyses actually reveal about reproductive health?

A study of nearly 3,000 Swiss men launches our investigation into pesticides, microplastics, plastic additives, flame retardants, and endocrine disruptors. We explore the Seveso dioxin disaster and a Netflix documentary’s experiment in reducing plastic exposure.

We also examine age, smoking, illness, varicoceles, and lifestyle—and what sperm quality can tell us about getting pregnant. Do long-term studies, infertility rates, and time to pregnancy support claims of a worldwide fertility crisis? What remains uncertain?

More to explore