So, laptops reduce sperm count? Then where are you supposed to keep the laptop on? You are at the right place to learn about all the essential information about the link between laptops and male infertility, tips to use laptops without reducing your sperm counts.
Testicles are a lot cooler than you think.
Let me ask you a question. Why do you think the testicles are sitting outside the body cavity? In our early foetal life, testicles develop in the abdomen. But then, they decide to descend all the way down to the scrotum.
Yeah! The answer is temperature! The scrotum is around 2-4 degrees Celsius cooler than the internal body temperature. It’s the ideal temperature for the seminiferous tubules to produce loads of sperms.
Laptops warm the scrotum more than you think.
Okay! That’s a bold statement. But I don’t type anything without proof. A team of researchers (led by Dr. Yefim Sheynkin) at the State University of New York conducted an interesting experiment with the participation of 29 young and healthy men.
They all sat down and balanced a laptop on their lap. Some laptops were working and the rest weren’t. The men’s scrotal temperature was measured every 3 minutes.
- Participants with working laptops had their scrotal temperatures risen by 2.7 degrees Celsius.
- Participants with non-working laptops had their scrotal temperatures risen by 2.1 degrees Celsius.
How do the laptops Raise scrotal temperature.
Well, It’s not only the heat generated by the laptop. There are two main ways for this.
- Heat generated by the laptop: The same study measured the temperature at the bottom of the laptop. And obviously, it’s too much for the testicles to cope with. So this heat will first warm your thighs before it is conducted to the testicles.
- Lack of air conduction: When you sit tight with testicles lying in between the warm thighs and with the laptop on top, there’s no room for the air conduction. With time, the trapped air will get warmer and warmer to catalyze the impact of heat.
Laptops raise your scrotal temperature without a doubt. But is it enough to cause infertility?
Not really. Laptop use alone is not likely to be the cause of infertility. But sometimes small things add up to do big things. If your sleep, exercise and diet are not healthy, your sperms will not be in 100% good shape. Even if those factors are optimized, you might be having another disease or condition which lowers your fertility chances. In such a scenario where multiple factors affect the health of the sperms, its best to avoid laptops on thighs and give your testicles the best working environment possible to overcome other haphazard.
So, should you throwaway your laptop?
- Not really. You can place it on a table when you use it, obviously!
- Use a cooling device for your laptop.
- Change the laptop position from time to time.
- Change your posture frequently.
- Take frequent breaks.
How the heat impairs semen quality?
The Sperms are produced in the seminiferous tubules of the testes. But it is tightly regulated by many hormones. The most important hormone is testosterone, which is also produced in the testes by a group of cells called leydig cells. In addition to these cells, another group of cells called sertoli cells supports the sperm production (Spermatogenesis) by keeping maturing sperms healthy and nourished. Seminiferous tubules, Sertoli cells and leydig cells are highly heat sensitive. Maturing sperms can also get damaged due to the heat induced DNA and protein damage. Ultimately, the sperm count is lowered with abnormalities in the shape and motility of sperms. These changes will be evident in a properly done Semen analysis.
What are the other activities that will raise scrotal temperature?
- Hot tub baths:
- Dr.Paul J. Turek led an investigation with the participation of 11 infertile men who had exposure to hot baths repeatedly.
- All of them were advised to avoid hot baths for a period of 3 months or more, and semen analysis was done again.
- 5 men out of 11, showed improve sperm parameters (total motile sperm count) after the cessation of exposure to hot tubs. That’s a significant number.
- Of the 6 men who didn’t respond to the cessation, five were chronic smokers. May be the smoking was the major reason for their abnormalities in the semen analysis.
- Bottom line is you should stay away from hot tubs, if you are suffering from male infertility.
- Saunas
- Tight underwear: This is a much debated topic in the subject of male infertility. Some doctors recommend wearing loose clothing to prevent over heating of the testes. But some experts dismiss the claims and ask the patients to wear whatever they are comfortable with.
- Occupational exposure to heat: You will have to think twice about the working environment if you are exposed to heat every day at work.
How long will it take to recover from heat exposure?
Well, you can’t just be cautious on the day before your romantic encounter (intercourse) and totally forget about it thereafter. It takes around 3 months for sperms to mature. So you have to provide a nurturing environment with optimum temperature for at least 3 months.
Summary
- Can Laptops reduce sperm count? The research evidence may indicate this.
- Sperm counts drop down when exposed to heat for a long time period.
- Laptop use, Hot tub baths, Saunas and Occupational exposure to heat are risk factors.
- It might take at least 3 months for the reversal of heat impact.
