Men wearing boxers most of the time have higher sperm concentration, total count, and lower FSH levels than those who opt for jockeys and briefs, a new Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study suggests.

Elevated scrotal temperatures are known to adversely affect testicular function and the new study confirms that among the male partners of couples seeking infertility treatment tight-fitting underwear was linked to lower sperm counts and sperm concentration and higher levels of a hormone that can indicate trouble in the testicles.

The Testicular heating and its possible contributions to male infertility: a review (international journal of andrology, 1995) concluded that “all the data collected in animals and humans clearly indicate a deleterious effect of strong or moderate testicular/scrotal heating upon spermatogenesis and fertility”.

The “Diurnal scrotal skin temperature and semen quality” study (international journal of andrology,2000) opened affirming that “it is well established that heat is associated with reduced sperm production, but the role of physiological variation in temperature has never been scrutinized in humans” and “concluded that a sedentary position is a significant source of increased scrotal skin temperature, and even moderate and physiological elevation in scrotal skin temperature is associated with a substantially reduced sperm concentration”.

Sedentary work should be considered as an important potential confounder for reduced sperm count in epidemiological research.

For more information

1995
international journal of andrology
Testicular heating and its possible contributions to male infertility: a review
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December 1996
American Journal of Industrial Medicine
Effects of prolonged autovehicle driving on male reproductive function: A study among taxi drivers
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August 1997
American Society for Reproductive Medicine
Effect of increased scrotal temperature on sperm production in normal men
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01 June 2000
human reproduction
Increase in scrotal temperature in car drivers
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2000
international journal of andrology
Diurnal scrotal skin temperature and semen quality
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01 February 2005
human reproduction
Increase in scrotal temperature in laptop computer users
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May 2015
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics
Scrotal heat stress causes sperm chromatin damage and cysteinyl aspartate-spicific proteinases 3 changes in fertile men
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dic. 2015
Revista de Investigaciones Veterinarias del Perú
Efecto de la Manipulación de la Temperatura Escrotal sobre lasCaracterísticas Clínicas, Seminales y Endocrinas en Carneros
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08 August 2018
human reproduction
Type of underwear worn and markers of testicular function among men attending a fertility center
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Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
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MDN

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