Why to do a semen analysis?
There are some myths that exists with the fertility potential that men, trans women and non-binary people with sperm, face. You are being taught that it’s not a matter of if you will be able to have a child, it’s a matter of when you want it, and the only thing you need to care about is to cum. Men are currently taking the fertility and the possibility to reproduction for granted. But the latest science is saying something different and is putting a hole to those myths. And we want you to know how things really are!
The only thing the man needs to do is to cum? NO
A Belgian study (1) states that when a couple is having problem conceiving it has 50% of the time something to do with the sperm. And in 20-30% of the cases the sperm is the reason that a couple isn’t able to conceive the natural way. People with sperm do have a bigger role to play than just to cum.
Is the quality of the sperm static? NO
It takes around 90 days for sperm to be produced. This means that what happened 90 days ago affects the active sperm right now. And we know that our lifestyle, smoking, what we eat, drink, the drugs we take, how much we exercise, affects sperm quality and quantity. So, we could ask ourselves why a 90-day-sperm-boot-camp is not a thing?
Can men take their fertility for granted? - NO
According to a study (2) from 2017 the male fertility (3) (measured in sperm concentration) halved, as it decreased by 50%, between 1973–2011. This baffles the scientific community – there just isn’t enough research to explain this exponential drop. One thing scientist’s do agree on is that our lifestyles can directly affect fertility. What we eat, where we live, smoking, the drugs we take, how much plastic we use, how little (or too much) we exercise – all these factors can have a negative impact on fertility.
Are men talking about fertility? - NO
Societal norms are teaching people with sperm that they are invincible. And the same societal norms are preventing us from thinking and talking about it. According to a Swedish Kantar survey 5/10 of the men between 18-45 in Sweden have thought about their fertility. Which means that 5/10 hasn’t. And only 3/10 have talked about the topic with their friends. Meaning that 7/10 hasn’t. For the person carrying the child the figures are completely different. 7/10 of the women have thought about their fertility, and 7/10 have talked about the topic with their friends.
Sources
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0009912018302200
- https://academic.oup.com/humupd/article/23/6/646/4035689
- Male fertility is the scientific name for the science focused on people with sperm.
