Melanie Gomez
While one in eight couples encounter problems having a child, the congress of the French urology association opens its doors this year on the theme of male infertility. Since the 1970s, the quality of French sperm has continued to deteriorate. What are the causes and how to reverse the phenomenon? We take stock.
A concern for couples who are short of children. And for some urologists, even the risk of extinction of the human species. Male infertility is at the heart of concerns this year at the congress of the French urology association, which begins this Wednesday in Paris, at a time when one in eight couples are experiencing difficulties in procreating. And in 30% of cases, it is the man’s fertility that is lacking. Since the 1970s, the quality of French sperm has continued to deteriorate.
Hygiene of life highlighted
Compared to the 1970s, the average sperm concentration of men has been halved. And it is especially men’s lifestyle that is singled out by experts to explain this decline: obesity, smoking, excess alcohol and even a sedentary lifestyle. Because it’s proven: sitting all day increases the temperature of the testicles, which is very bad for fertility.
“The testicle is an organ that has difficulty withstanding being above 34 degrees. What we generally ask men to do is not to wear kilts all the time, but to stay sit as little as possible. Even in the office, you have to try to make your phone calls standing up, for example, and these are simple things to put in place that will change the possibility of having better quality spermatozoa” specifies the doctor Charlotte Methorst, urological surgeon in Saint-Cloud.
Another piece of advice is to favor the Mediterranean diet, with lots of fruits and vegetables and foods rich in antioxidants. And then you should not hesitate to consult a urologist, who can prescribe on a case-by-case basis, hormonal treatment or a small intervention to restore fertility.