Semmelweis University warns of ‘drastically decreased’ male fertility
Men's reproductive capacity has "drastically decreased" in the past few decades, according to a fresh meta-analysis by Budapest's Semmelweis University.
Environmental pollution, smoking, varicocele, diabetes, testicular tumors and advanced age affect the quality of sperm cells, the university said in a statement released on Tuesday, reporting on its analysis of 27,000 studies.
Semmelweis University said DNA fragmentation, which affects the functionality of sperm cells, begins to increase significantly, by 12.6 percent, after the age of 50.
Based on earlier research, the university said one in six couples in Western countries faced infertility problems, with the causes distributed evenly between women and men, adding that it was advisable to avoid smoking, take regular exercise and eat healthily.
