A study of the world’s largest sperm bank in Aarhus shows that men’s sperm count is not generally decreasing. This perception is widespread, but researchers have now found data that challenges this assumption. Cryos International, located in Aarhus, has been the focus of researchers analyzing sperm from the period 2017 to 2022. The study shows no general change in sperm count during this period. Sperm count refers to the number of live sperm cells per milliliter of semen or per ejaculation. Allan Pacey, professor of andrology at the University of Manchester, states that there is a “widespread understanding that men’s sperm count is generally decreasing,” but adds that the study has not been able to document this trend. Pacey hopes that the result can provide relief for many. The study included sperm from 6758 men aged 18 to 45 from four Danish cities. The sperm samples were analyzed within an hour of donation. The study has been published in the scientific journal Human Reproduction under the University of Oxford. The researchers noted a decrease in the number of “swimming” sperm cells after 2020, which may be attributed to changes in men’s eating habits and physical activity as a result of pandemic lockdowns. But this decline is not indicative of a general trend, says Pacey. He points out that previous research, which showed an annual decline in sperm count of 2.64 percent since 2000, could be misleading as it used already published data instead of newly specifically harvested data. Chris Barratt from the University of Dundee in Scotland praises the researchers behind the new study for their work and emphasizes that previous research in the field has been lacking. Barratt believes that focus should instead be on sperm quality rather than quantity. Pacey adds that sperm motility, the ability of sperm to move, is an important factor that has been overlooked in the past, and that poor sperm motility can be treated with a healthy lifestyle.

Read the danish version here