Why Wearing tight boxers may inhibit sperm production – fertility experts warn
Gynaecologists have cautioned that men wearing tight boxers or clothing are at high risk of having low sperm count, which may inhibit sperm production.
The physicians said that tight underwear may lead to irritation and infection, emphasising that it poses a greater risk to men than women.
Additionally, they said wearing constrictive underwear is a greater inhibitor of sperm motility, surpassing the impact of lifestyle choices like alcohol consumption or smoking.
Speaking exclusively in various interviews with PUNCH Healthwise, the fertility experts cautioned against wearing tight underwear for men aspiring to have children.
They emphasized that tight underwear raises temperatures around the scrotum, which can adversely affect sperm formation and is thus, not conducive for maintaining healthy sperm.
A Professor of Anatomy and Reproductive Endocrinology. College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Oladapo Ashiru, said sperm viability is influenced by several factors, including body heat stability.
Confirming the claim that wearing tight boxers or clothing hampers sperm formation and motility, he emphasised that tight underwear disrupts spermatogenesis, which is the body’s process of producing sperm cells.
The Consultant reproductive endocrinologist who co-pioneered the in-vitro fertilisation research in 1984 successfully delivered the first test-tube baby in Africa in 1986 with his team, said that tight underwear will help to increase the temperature of the testicles which will affect the quality of spermatozoa.
He said, “The temperature requirement for normal formation of spermatozoa is lower than that of general body temperature and that is the reason nature made the scrotum containing the testicles to be outside the body so that the temperature will not interfere in the spermatogenesis.
“So, when you wear tight underwear it creates a ‘heat trap’ around the genital area, causing temperatures to rise and affecting sperm quality. Elevated temperatures can hinder proper sperm development, potentially leading to reproductive problems and infertility.”
While listing those predisposed to these reproductive issues, Ashiru, who is also the Chief Medical Director, Medical Art Centre, Ikeja, Lagos, noted that long-distant drivers face are at higher risk than others who do not sit at a particular place for long (not sedentary).
He noted that company executives who sit for prolonged periods and sportsmen who wear tight outfits are also at high risk of having low sperm count as their chairs and tight clothing tend to produce more heat than the testicles need for sperm production.
Regarding the solution, he advised, “In order not to be at risk, if you have a job that keeps you on a seat for a long time, cultivate the habit of taking breaks and walking every two hours or so, if you are still interested in having children. It is advisable to opt for loose boxersLoose boxers and clothing are recommended for males.”
Speaking further on the issue, Dr. Chinonso Egemba, popularly known as ‘Aproko Doctor’ also cautioned Nigerian men against wearing tight clothing, especially jeans and boxers, saying that it could cause low sperm count.
He warned that excessively tight jeans and boxers could harm the scrotum and disrupt sperm production.
“There is a reason your scrotum is outside your body. It is there because your testicles require a lower temperature than the rest of your body to produce sperm,” he said.
The physician, however, advised men to wear free clothes that allow the scrotum to dangle and breathe, stressing that for optimal sperm production, the scrotum should be free.
Supporting this argument, a study titled “Type of underwear worn and markers of testicular function among men attending a fertility centre” by Lidia Minguez-Alarcon and her team, published in the Oxford Academic Journal of Human Reproduction, confirms that elevated scrotal temperatures have detrimental effects on testicular function.
The study revealed that men who opt for looser-fit boxer shorts exhibit higher sperm concentration compared to those wearing tight underwear.
It noted that sperm concentration, measured as the number of sperm per millilitre of semen, is a key indicator of male fertility.
The study noted, however, that men who preferred ‘bikinis,’ better known as briefs, and other tight-fitting underwear had higher levels of follicle-stimulating hormone compared to the men in boxers.
“Because this hormone stimulates sperm production, the researchers speculate that these higher levels, which push the testicles to work harder at producing sperm, may be the body’s way of compensating for lower sperm concentration.
“Men who reported most frequently wearing boxers had significantly higher sperm concentration and total sperm counts, and lower serum follicle-stimulating hormone levels, compared to men who did not wear primarily boxers,” the study added.
The authors concluded that the findings support the presence of a compensatory increase in gonadotrophin secretion secondary to testicular injury resulting from elevated scrotal temperatures caused by tight underwear.
They emphasized the need for further research to validate these results across diverse populations.
