Every Sperm Is More Sacred Than We Guessed

Every so often, you’ll hear a reference to some really disturbing studies that demonstrate a sharp decline in sperm density AND quality since tests began over fifty years ago. And then, because, well, who pays that much attention to what happens to the world once we’re gone, you may hastily flip past it to something about the merits of dark chocolate. But then the Utne Reader (the piece originally appeared in Tomorrow Magazine) decided to talk about it for seven pages, and also that it’s happening in animals, and may have resulted in behavioral changes in boys:

In 2000, American researchers not only confirmed results from the original Danish semen quality study, they found sperm density in the United States and Europe to be falling at an even faster clip: by 1.5 to 3 percent per year. And last summer, an Israeli study noted a steady decline in semen quality at one local bank over the past 15 years. A full 38 percent of all sperm-donation applicants are now rejected, up from one-third prior to 2004. That year, the bank lowered its minimum sperm count for acceptance to widen its net for donors. Under those more stringent standards, 88 percent of contemporary samples would have been rejected.

On the plus side, this will eventually bring an end to the mommy wars some time before the heat death of the universe. Perhaps Clive Owen will cradle you in his arms as we wait for it.