In a recent research paper published in the international journal Fertility and Sterility, researchers from Stanford University found that physical work, high blood pressure and frequent use of multiple medications may reduce male fertility, in the first study of the association between workplace exertion, health and sperm quality in men trying to conceive. The study may provide new research leads to improve male infertility. About 15 percent of couples in the United States do not conceive within the first year of trying to conceive, and male infertility plays an important role in this, said researcher Germaine Buck Louis, adding that our aim was to explain the relationship between the effects of contextual factors and individual male sperm quality and health. Sperm quality is an important indicator of male fertility, and sperm quality is often determined by determining the number and shape of sperm, as well as motility and other factors. In the article, researchers followed more than 500 couples from Texas and Michigan over the past 1 year who were emotionally committed to each other and discontinued birth control; all male participants in the study completed initial testing, in which these individuals were asked about their fertility history, health, lifestyle and occupational activities, and most men provided a sperm sample for the study. The final study included 456 men with an average age of 31.8 years, 77% of whom were white, 91% of whom were college-educated, and more than half of whom had no children; the researchers found that 13% of the men who worked physically had lower sperm counts compared to those who did not (6%); there were no other work stressors, such as heat, noise and sedentary work. For example, heat, noise and sedentary conditions can also affect sperm quality in men. When men diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes or high cholesterol were studied, the researchers found that the percentage of normal-shaped sperm was lower in individuals with hypertension compared to those without hypertension; Michael L. Eisenberg, PhD, said that as men have to have and raise children later in life, health issues that we once thought were completely unrelated to fertility may need to be reconsidered. Future studies will need to examine whether hypertension itself or therapy affects male fertility. Finally, the researchers also found that men who take a lot of medication may have a higher risk of having a lower sperm count in their bodies, for example, in 7 percent of men not taking medication, individuals had a sperm count of 39 million or less, compared to the normal range of 40 million to 300 million, while 15 percent of men taking one or more medications had a sperm count of 39 million or less. Finally, the researchers said that if the above factors are proven to have a negative effect on male infertility, then it may be possible for individuals to eliminate the negative factors that affect male fertility by making certain changes in their daily lives, such as treatment or changes in work practices.