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Volume 15, Issue 2 (March 2013) 15, 195–198; 10.1038/aja.2012.122
Misconceptions about falling sperm counts and fertility in Europe
Egbert R te Velde1,2 and Jens Peter Bonde3
1 Department of Public Health, Erasmus University MC, Rotterdam, GE 3015, The Netherlands
2 Reproductive Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, CM 3584, The Netherlands
3 Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Bispebjerg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, NV 2400, Denmark
Correspondence: Dr ER te Velde, (e.r.tevelde@ziggo.nl)
Received 1 September 2012; Revised 12 October 2012; Accepted 15 October 2012 Advance online publication 3 December 2012
| Abstract |
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The Science Policy Briefing on male reproductive health published by the authoritative European Science Foundation (ESF) in 2010 echoes the views expressed in the famous paper by Carlsen et al., suggesting that mean sperm counts decreased by 50%. The authors are convinced that the male reproductive system in industrialized countries is under attack from environmental chemicals. This may have far-reaching consequences for the reproductive capacity of future generations. Their arguments, however, contain some misconceptions about declining sperm quality and fertility. Although there is reason for concern about the effect of environmental pollution, the authors' pessimism is not justified.
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