For many men, ‘packaging’ is the watchword. They seem unable to settle for underpants that will give their manhood a breathing space. And this happens for the better part of the week, as they dress up to project the corporate image successful men are noted for.
Ordinarily, there’s nothing wrong in dressing corporately; but then, how your underpants habit affects your sperm health and, consequently, your overall fertility, is a cause for concern.
The habit is even worse among adolescent males who appear to have turned themselves into mobile boutiques, all in the name of fashion. These days, young men are hardly satisfied with wearing few items of clothing, but would rather pile on layers of clothes, especially from the waist down.
It’s not difficult to guess, what with the sagging culture! As a young man sags, you see assortments of underpants comprising first, the pant proper, and then a pair of boxer shorts, before he dons his pair of jeans (or, worse still, leather trousers!) to complete the unholy ensemble.
Don’t fry your sperm
While you call this fashion, though, fertility experts daub it danger signals that suggest that you may be frying your sperm, literally!
Expert in human reproduction, Prof. Oladapo Ashiru, notes that the testicles (or testes) make male hormones and sperm and therefore should be kept cool. Wearing tight underpants that inhibit the testes’ ability to move away from the body might make them warm all the time, experts aver.
Ashiru explains, “The sperm cells, which are created in the testes and mixed with the seminal fluid upon ejaculation, is what can be affected by tight undies by not allowing your testicles to move away from your body when they need to be cooler.”
While experts say that if you don’t have a pre-existing fertility issue, wearing snug boxer briefs may not really result in any damage to your capability to reproduce, the fact that male factor accounts for about 40 per cent of childlessness among couples should make you to take caution.
Again, Ashiru warns, it’s easy to injure your testicles because they are not protected by bones or muscles. And one way of protecting them is to also make them cool — really cool!
Scientists at the Centre for Reproductive Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine agree. They aver that in order for testes to produce sufficient quality and quantity of sperm, the temperature must be lower than the core body temperature.
“That is why testes are located outside of the body. Testes were made to be out in the breeze,” the reproductive experts submit.
Physicians say in a situation where the man is responsible for childlessness in the family, often, it is caused by a problem with the sperm itself, such as a low sperm count, poor motility (non-active or slow moving sperm), or abnormally shaped sperm.
According to healthfacts, an online portal, factors that negatively affect sperm development and motility include radiation and overheated testicles. They note that the reasons for many cases of low sperm quality sometimes go unresolved.
The scientists say as a matter of routine, many fertility clinics suggest that men who are trying to conceive should wear boxer shorts, instead of pants or tight-fitting underwear.
They say this is because pants position the scrotum closer to the abdominal cavity, which may slightly raise its temperature; warning that increased scrotal temperature can reduce sperm production and motility.
For best quality sperm
The testes need cooler environment to produce the best-quality sperm, experts advise; suggesting that warm temperature affects sperm’s ability to mature, leading to poorer sperm quality and a temporary drop in sperm production
Indeed, researchers at Liebig University, Germany, in a study, conclude that wearing tight-fitting underwear does increase scrotal temperature enough to significantly reduce sperm count and motility!
In addition, scientists at the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence conducted a lifestyle study that found that wearing constrictive underwear is a greater inhibitor to sperm motility than other lifestyle choices such as consuming alcohol or smoking tobacco.
“Research suggests that groin constriction can lower sperm levels. Tight underwear tends to increase temperatures around the scrotum, and this can inhibit sperm production. Sperm viability is influenced by several factors, including body heat stability,” the scientists submit.
Sperm production
Many people take it for granted that sperm is readily available in any man’s body. Experts say that’s absolute bunkum. They warn that once sperm gets damaged for whatever reasons, the damage will affect the sperm for the next 10 to 11 weeks when your body is ready to make fresh sperm!
If you are trying for a child, it means each time your sperm gets an issue, you’ll have to wait almost three months to complete another cycle of sperm production. Imagine the implications of this if it happens regularly. Yuck!
The bottom line is this: Whether or not you are trying for a child, it won’t do any harm to keep your balls happy by keeping them cool.
by Solaade Ayo-Aderele Punchng.com
