The biggest debate about male reproductive health over the past 50 years has been the global decline in male semen quality. The Danish scholar Dr. Niels Schabak has analyzed the semen quality of nearly 15,000 men in 21 countries between 1938 and 1990. Danish scholar Dr. Niels Shabak has comprehensively analyzed the semen quality reports of nearly 15,000 people from 21 countries between 1938 and 1990, and found that the number of male sperm has decreased by more than 40% over the past 50 years. In particular, semen volume decreased by 20%, while sperm density decreased from 113 million per milliliter in 1940 to 66 million in 1990. After this, many countries and regions in Europe, the Americas and Asia have published retrospective comparative data, the vast majority of which support the conclusion that male semen quality has declined. Studies by scholars in China have shown similar results. The Institute of Science and Technology of the National Population and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC) studied the publicly available sperm analysis data of 11,726 individuals from 39 cities and counties, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin, from 1981 to 1996, and found that the semen quality of men in China was declining at a rate of 1% per year, and that the number of sperm was declining at a rate of more than 40%. The sperm count has dropped by more than 40%. Moreover, the more industrialized the region, the faster the decline in sperm quality. In recent years, it has also been seen in clinical practice in urology and men’s clinics that the decline in sperm quality is leading to an increasing number of patients being seen for male infertility. Some of the causes of decreased sperm quality are congenital or acquired diseases, while others are caused by some human factors in life. Among them, the following 10 factors have been proven in studies to have the greatest impact on sperm quality: 1, food packaging and cosmetics A press release issued recently by the German Research Association said that the decline in the number of sperm in males around the world over the past few decades may be related to a chemical called phthalates. Phthalates are a class of chemicals that can have a softening effect. It is commonly used in hundreds of products including toys, food packaging, vinyl flooring, wallpaper, detergents, lubricants, nail polish, hair sprays, soaps and shampoos. Studies have shown that phthalates can be endocrine disruptors, reducing the number of male sperm, low motility, abnormal morphology, and in severe cases can lead to testicular cancer, which is the “main culprit” of male reproductive problems. In cosmetics, nail polish has the highest phthalate content. It enters the body through the respiratory system and skin of women, jeopardizing the reproductive systems of the boys they will give birth to. Phthalates also enter the body through food and water packaged in plastic containers, such as the inner coating of canned food, recyclable milk and mineral water bottles. Studies have shown that the higher the fat content of canned foods, the more likely they are to be contaminated, such as pork, anchovies and sardines. Fetuses, infants and adolescent children are most sensitive to it and their health is most vulnerable. In order to minimize the harmful effects of phthalates on human body, it is usually better to pay attention not to use Styrofoam containers to soak instant noodles, and not to use plastic containers containing polyvinyl chloride to heat up food in the microwave oven. The correct practice is to put the food into heat-resistant glassware or ceramic utensils in the heating. 2, car exhaust car exhaust contains a lot of harmful substances, such as sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, etc.. The human body is exposed to these substances for a long time, will occur cumulative damage, not only affect reproductive health, but also may increase the incidence of tumors and other diseases. The most serious is that automobile exhaust contains dioxin is extremely strong environmental endocrine disruptors, can make men’s testicular morphology changes, sperm count reduction, spermatogenesis ability to reduce. 3, smoking, alcohol Smoking has always been the enemy of health, the impact on semen is equally obvious. Early foreign studies have shown that smokers and non-smokers, compared to the quality of semen, the main indicators are significantly lower, sperm deformity rate increased, semen leukocyte number increased. Nicotine and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons produced in tobacco can cause testicular atrophy and sperm morphology changes. Alcohol has a direct effect on the human liver and male testes. Studies have found that patients with chronic alcoholism experience testicular atrophy, leading to a decrease in semen quality. Therefore, men must avoid regular excessive alcohol consumption. 4, estrogen Estrogen will have a significant impact on the male reproductive system, including affecting the level of androgens, triggering changes in testicular tissue and structure, causing testicular cancer, lowering the number of sperm in the semen, causing gynecomastia, and leading to endocrine disorders. Short-term administration of estrogen-containing drugs by men does not significantly affect the reproductive system, but long-term exposure to estrogen-containing items in their lives will cause greater harm to reproductive health. For example, some men casually use female cosmetics in skin care. These cosmetics developed specifically for women, some contain a certain amount of estrogen, long-term use of male reproductive health will be damaged, resulting in hypogonadism. 5, trace elements and male fertility-related trace elements mainly include zinc, selenium, copper, calcium and magnesium. Zinc is an important element in the reproductive system, and a lack of zinc will affect the development of male reproductive organs and secondary sexual characteristics during puberty, reduce sperm motility, weaken the body’s immune function, and make men susceptible to prostatitis, epididymitis and other infectious diseases. And selenium deficiency will increase the concentration of peroxide in the body, causing damage to the male reproductive system and testicles. Therefore, men should usually eat more food containing high zinc and selenium, such as milk, corn, black rice, black beans and so on. 6, temperature High temperature will produce damage to the testicles, but exactly how high the temperature and how long the exposure time under this temperature will have an impact on the testicles, there is still a debate in the academic community. In animal experiments, fertility was reduced in males after being exposed to 38.5°C for 55 minutes. In real life, men should try to avoid staying too long in a high-temperature environment, such as sauna and hot water baths. 7, drugs The inappropriate abuse of anti-cancer, hormonal, antibiotic and other drugs can damage the function of male gonads, causing a decline in the quantity and quality of sperm, or lead to sexual dysfunction by affecting the endocrine function of the gonads. The effect of drugs on male fertility is affected by factors such as the type of drug, the dose, the course of treatment, and the age of the patient. Generally speaking, the higher the dosage of drugs used, the longer the course of treatment, and the younger the age of the patient, the more serious the damage to the fertility function and the longer the time needed to restore the fertility function. At present, there is a proliferation of sexual health products in the society, some of which contain sex hormones or similar ingredients that may affect the normal spermatogenesis of the testicles, and unmarried and infertile people should be extra careful when choosing them. 8, noise With the development of modernization, the health impact of urban noise has become more prominent. Noise is a kind of environmental pollution. In recent years, some experts put forward the theory of “environmental hormones”, pointing out that there are chemicals in the environment that can affect the endocrine function of the human body like hormones, noise is one of them. Noise is one of these chemicals. It can cause endocrine disruption in the human body, leading to semen and sperm abnormalities. Prolonged noise pollution can cause male infertility; for women, it will lead to miscarriage and fetal malformation. 9, radiation Radiation on human health has been determined to have a clear impact. Large doses of radiation can cause changes in testicular organization and structure, increase the malformation rate of sperm, and reduce sperm count, sperm density and other important indicators. However, there are no definite research results on whether small doses of radiation can cause infertility. There is a great deal of controversy in the academic community as to whether the electronic devices we use on a daily basis, such as cell phones and computers, can cause infertility. Therefore, men should usually minimize contact with radiation sources, but there is no need to be overly nervous. 10, stay up late According to research reports, a person in a state of long-term fatigue, men stay up late for a long time, so that the body’s hormone levels are disturbed, endocrine disorders, estrogen rise, it will cause sterility, and if the long-term overworked state, the hazards continue to accumulate, and gradually it will be occasional physiological dysfunctions, transformed into a recurrent, pathologically damaging to the men’s reproductive system, causing “Impotence, premature ejaculation” and so on, and, this kind of crowd, is currently the most majority of male patients in the group. Sperm quality is related to the major problem of human survival and reproduction. For these factors, on the one hand, we have to take a high degree of vigilance, timely attention and avoid; on the other hand, but also to call on all the forces of society to improve our living environment. Otherwise, it will be like what the American scholar Theo Colburn said in his book “Our Stolen Future”: infertility may become a widespread epidemic, and men in the future may lose their fertility altogether ……