Men’s Sperm Counts Decrease Dramatically: How to Improve Fertility

A new study confirms that men’s sperm counts are rapidly decreasing. The cause is clearly estrogen mimickers in the environment. Do we have the will to put an end to the toxins destroying our health, and perhaps ending our reproduction?

by Heidi Stevenson

Yet another study confirms the astounding decrease in men’s fertility. This one, out of France, found a decrease of one-third in sperm counts over a 16 year period, about 1.9% per year. They also found that, of the sperm left, there’s been a one-third decrease in sperm with normal shapes. Add this even more depressing information on top of this earlier report by Gaia Health and you have a recipe for self-destruction:

A shocking study published in the International Journal of Andrology has found that men born between 1979 and 1987 lost more than 27% of their sperm count. Almost certainly for the same reason, men are suffering from increasing rates of testicular cancer.

It’s believed that the culprit is chemicals introduced into the environment. The study investigated men born between 1979 and 1987. Entitled “Recent adverse trends in semen quality and testis cancer incidence among Finnish men”, the study’s results showed:

• Men born between 1979 & 1981 had sperm counts averaging 227 million.
• Men born between 1982 & 1983 had sperm counts averaging 202 million.
• Men born in 1987 had sperm counts averaging 165 million.

That is a decrease of 27.3% in 6-8 years! But, even more frightening is that men’s sperm count has been diminishing at the same time that testicular cancer has been increasing.

The problem has been noted before. In April last year, The Independent reported that one in five apparently healthy young men between the ages of 18 and 25 suffers from an abnormal sperm count, and that the sperm they do produce is often of poor quality.

It was only 20 years ago that the problem surfaced, when it was noted that a new class of disorders, called testicular dysgenesis syndrome, had developed. Studies demonstrated that a man’s lifetime risk of testicular cancer was related to where he was born, rather than where he lived. That led to the conclusion that the problems developed during gestation.

The Problem

Researchers are well convinced that the problem is environmental. That is not difficult to believe. We live in an age of enormous pollution in the environment and in our foods. One particular concern is estrogen, especially synthetic forms of it.

Estrogen imitators are now found virtually everywhere. They are in plastics, which are found everywhere in today’s world. They’re found in pesticides used on crops. They’re found in the drugs given to food animals to fatten them up, so they’re eaten every day. They’re found in the general environment, where they’re implicated in the feminizing of fish. They’re found in soy, a grain that was not generally eaten until Agribusiness managed to convince people that it’s a health food. Until then, it was treated as what it was, a poison with non-food uses. (However, fermented soy, such as soy sauce and miso, is very healthy.)

Obviously, pregnant women need to avoid all ersatz estrogens found in their environment. This means that they should follow the same guidance given below for men.

Estrogen mimickers play a significant role in male fertility. The problem is that there are many variations of estrogen, plus there are estrogen mimickers. These are found in soy beans, plastics that we use in everyday life, and in chemicals given to food animals to make them gain weight so they can bring more money at market.

Solutions

If you’re a man who has found that his sperm count is low—or perhaps you’re worried about testicular cancer or are dealing with a lowered libido—you may be able to improve your outlook by eliminating most of the estrogen mimickers from your diet and environment.

Do not assume that the damage is done and there is nothing you can do about it. You may have been born with a sperm count that’s less than your father’s—but that’s no reason to aggravate the problem. Though you may have been bequeathed a lowered sperm count as a result of environmental toxins, that alone does not mean you’re destined to be without children or are fated to contract testicular cancer. The outlook can be dramatically improved by learning what to avoid.

In general: All plastics should be removed from your environment. Food should not be wrapped or stored in plastics. Drinks and foods in plastic containers must be avoided. Meats must be organic to assure that they are not adulterated with Agribusiness’s animal-fattening hormones. And soy, other than fermented products, should be eliminated from the diet.

There are five general areas to focus on:

1. Soy: Less than a hundred years ago, soy was grown for industrial uses, not as a food. It was believed, rightly, to be a poison. Of course, Agribusiness managed to change the public’s perception, so it came to be viewed as a health food. In fact, it’s not—with the exception of fermented soy, such as soy sauce, miso, and tempeh.To improve your masculine health, avoid non-fermented soy products. That especially includes soy isoflavones and other soy protein powders that are frequently taken by body builders.
2. Hormones in Foods: If a meat is not defined as organic, then you must assume that the animal was fed hormones to increase its weight, most of which is water, not protein. Along with the extra water, you also get estrogens. That is what you need to avoid. Your chances of fathering a child are reduced if you eat factory-farmed meat.
3. Pesticides: Be glad that DDT has been banned. It contains an estrogen mimicker. However, there are many others in use today on food crops. They are among the greatest offenders of male reproductive health. To mitigate against your testicular cancer risk, eat only organic veggies and fruits.
4. Hormones in the Environment: If you live near or downstream of a plant that produces chemicals, pesticides, or plastics, then it’s likely that residues including ersatz estrogens are being discharged into the environment. Water in such areas is likely to be polluted. Virtually all water supplies are now polluted with drug residues that are literally peed out by people, and these include estrogens.The best solution is to install a whole-house water filter, which will protect you from chemical absorption during baths, showers, and any other water immersion. Water is ingested not only through the mouth, but is also absorbed through the skin. The best type is probably reverse-osmosis, which will remove virtually every dangerous element. Do not assume that bottled water is safe. Much of it is identical to the tap water of the area it comes from,impurities and all.
5. Plastics: Plastics are everywhere! It has replaced virtually every natural substance we use, and to our detriment. Plastics are made from petroleum and carry much of its toxicity, and many contain estrogen mimickers.Nowadays, it’s virtually impossible to eliminate all plastics, but removing them from one area of your life will probably remove the vast majority of plastic toxicity. Keep plastics away from foods. Don’t wrap leftovers in plastic. Don’t store leftovers in plastic containers. Don’t use plastic utensils or bowls.

A Message to Women

Estrogen mimickers are as big a problem for women as they are for men. Much breast cancer is associated with them. The female body requires a proper balance of estrogen, progesterone, and androgens, including testosterone. The environmental false estrogens disrupt the normal balance in women, as well as men. By helping the men in your life avoid synthetic and excess estrogens, you’re also improving your own health.

This Toxic World

The cost of cheap products and food is enormous. We’re starting to pay in the form of poor health and a deteriorating environment. The cost in terms of money will be many times greater than the savings we once gleaned by the environmental rape of our world. In the end, a very small number of people who control the corporate worlds of Agribusiness, Big Pharma, Big Med, along with others, have profited mightily. The rest of us—the masses—are left to wallow in the wastes.

Sources:

• Decline in semen concentration and morphology in a sample of 26 609 men close to general population between 1989 and 2005 in France, Human Reproduction, M. Rolland et al,  doi:10.1093/humrep/des415
• Recent adverse trends in semen quality and testis cancer incidence among Finnish men (International Journal of Andrology study)
• Cancer rise and sperm quality fall ‘due to chemicals
• Out for the count: Why levels of sperm in men are falling
• The Pesticides Endosulfan, Toxaphene, and Dieldrin Have Estrogenic Effects on Human Estrogen-Sensitive Cells, Environmental Health Perspectives, Ana M. Soto et al
• Why are Millions in the US Drinking Filthy Water – Even in Upscale Suburbs?
• This “Miracle Health Food” Has Been Linked to Brain Damage and Breast Cancer
• Estrogen Linked To Sperm Count, Male Fertility
• The Falling Sperm Count In Men
• Scientists warn of sperm count crisis

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