So, 12.04. 08:40 ARTE

42 - Die Antwort auf fast alles

Staffel 1, Folge 65 | Wissenschaft

Decades long, there has only been one trend for the world's population: it has grown. But when looking at more recent studies on sperm concentration, there is cause for concern: a clear downward trend in sperm concentration has been proven, especially in western industrialized nations. According to a well-regarded international review study, only half as many sperm were found here recently as in the 1970s. Determining the causes of this is a major challenge for research worldwide: is it our unhealthy lifestyle? Stress can also negatively impact sperm production. In the USA, environmental and reproductive scientist Shanna Swan has also collected numerous indications that environmental toxins and hormone-disrupting plasticizers damage sperm production and that men whose mothers were exposed to high concentrations of phthalates during pregnancy are later less fertile. But avoiding these substances is almost impossible, they surround us all day long. So must we accept that more and more men will be infertile in the future? Psychologists confirm today that such a diagnosis does not pass without a trace on the self-image of many men: the man as a procreator is firmly anchored in the general image of masculinity. And if that self-image begins to waver, it means stress and stress can harm sperm. A vicious circle? Or could the sperm crisis be an opportunity to rethink our lifestyle and our concepts of masculinity once more?