Health

Wearing of boxers could improve sperm count

Published

6 years ago

August 15, 2018

A recent study has suggested that wearing looser underpants could be a simple way for men to improve their sperm count and the hormones that control it .In a study of 656 men , by researchers at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in the United States , boxer short wearers had a 25 per cent higher sperm concentration than men in tight – fitting underwear .

The experts , according to the BBC , said this simple lifestyle change could improve men ’ s fertility as cooler temperatures around the testicles improve men ’ s sperm count .

Scientists noted that sperm production was known to be sensitive to temperatures above 34 degrees Centigrade , which explained why the testicles hang down away from the body .

Some styles of underpants bring the scrotum nearer to the body , thereby causing the testicles to warm up , while others , such as boxer shorts , are loose and cooler .

In the largest study of its kind to date , the researchers found men attending a fertility clinic with loose – fitting boxer shorts had higher sperm concentration , a 17 per cent higher total sperm count and 33 per cent more swimming sperm than men with tighter- fitting underwear .

The researchers , however , noted that the sperm shape wasn ’ t affected and neither was the quality of the DNA .

They took into account other factors that can affect sperm , including age , body mass index and habits , such as smoking and use of hot tub , and speculated that the higher heat inside the pants was the root of the problem .

The study , which was published in the journal , Human Reproduction , also found that a hormone from the brain that tells the testicle to make sperm , called follicle stimulating hormone, was 14 per cent lower in wearers of loose underwear .

The findings suggest that this hormone kicks into gear when it needs to compensate for increasing scrotal temperatures and decreasing sperm counts in tight underwear .

A professor of Andrology from the University of Sheffield , Prof . Allan Pacey , who was not involved in the study , said the different levels of FSH among men with different types of underwear suggested that the tight – pant wearers had evidence of testicular damage .