Stress reduces the quality of sperm

Israeli researchers from Ben-Gurion University and Soroka University Medical Center have found that prolonged stress experienced, for example, during an armed conflict, can have a negative impact on the quality of sperm.

In total, the study included 10,536 sperm samples obtained during the quiet period of 2009-2017, which were compared with 659 sperm samples obtained during and for two months after two armed conflicts between Israel and the Gaza Strip in 2012 and 2014. The average age of donors was 32 years, 44% of them were smokers.

Analysis of the collected data showed that more than 37% of sperm samples obtained during stressful periods were characterized by low sperm motility. In general, the probability of detecting low sperm motility under stressful conditions increased by 47% compared to normal living conditions. The weak motility of the sperm reduces its chances of fertilization of the egg.

Dr. Eliahu Levitas from Ben-Gurion University explains that the negative impact of emotional stress on fertility has been known for a long time, but its effect on sperm motility has so far been very little studied.

The authors suggested that even men who heard the sounds of air raid sirens during the armed conflict experienced stress for longer periods. However, they did not expect that their experiments would demonstrate the existence between the safety situation and sperm motility.

The results of the work were presented at the international summit on Assisted reproduction and genetics held on May 27-29, 2018 in Tel Aviv.

Evgenia Ryabtseva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of Ben-Gurion University: Prolonged Stress Can Impact Quality of Sperm.