Sperm counts have plummeted by nearly two-thirds since the 70s, according to a major study last year, with scientists claiming chemicals in plastics, pesticides, poor diet, smoking and obesity are all harming blokes’ sperm.
It means growing numbers of young Brit men are now infertile – and more couples are failing to conceive naturally.
Recently online supermarket Ocado has started selling £39.99 kits to test a man's fertility.
SwimCount, made in Denmark by a company called MotilityCount, is a home-testing kit that measures sperm quality in 30 minutes. It works by measuring the sperm cells' ability to swim.
According to the blurb, it's able to separate the "good and unusable" sperm cells to give an accurate reading of a bloke’s fertility.
Here four brave readers put it to the test – with surprising results…
Jonathan Medina, 32, is single and works as a support worker. He lives in Haringey, North London. He says…
I don't have children and I have no immediate plans to settle down either. Even though I am happily single, my fertility is something that has always been in the back of my mind.
More than once I have thought, ‘Do I need to do this now?’ and check for insurance purposes.
I don't smoke, but I occasionally enjoy a shisha, I work a 40-hour week, which means I don’t have time anymore to be active.
When I was younger I enjoyed playing football. I also trained a lot – doing everything from press-ups, sit-ups and running. I enjoyed it and my body still looks good as a result today.
It’s only in the last year I’ve stopped working out and that’s because of my career. But I'm still quite muscular, and I weigh 17 stone.
As for my diet, it’s not the best but it isn’t the worst either. I am a meat eater and most meals will involve chicken, lamb or pork. I am curious to see how fertile I am.
How does the SwimCount test work?
SwimCount is a home-testing kit that measures sperm quality in 30 minutes. It works by measuring the sperm cells' ability to swim.
The test results use three colour scales:
Light Blue: This indicates that sperm count is low, with less than 5 million per ml. You are likely to have difficulty conceiving naturally and should consult a doctor for further tests and advice.
Medium Blue: This will show if sperm count is between 5-20 million per ml. This range is average according to the World Health Organisation’s statistics and means you should have a good chance of conceiving naturally within 12 months.
Dark Blue: A sperm count of over 20 million per ml is considered high and gives you a very good chance of conceiving naturally in the next year.
JONATHAN'S VERDICT: DARK BLUE
My test immediately went dark blue, indicating that I am fertile. I expected these results because I am not an unhealthy person.
I do think this approach for men is a good idea. It is definitely something I would do again. Sperm quality changes every three months and this allows me to know where I am at with my fertility. Men need to know this just as much as women do.
Unemployed Jon Baugh, 45, lives with his partner and their son in Chesterfield. He says…
I smoke at least 15 roll-ups a day and do enjoy a drink at the weekends. But I don’t think I am a heavy drinker and I am happy with my lifestyle.
Usually I smoke out of boredom if I'm honest – they help to calm me down.
I was interested in doing the test because I had three kids with my first wife, and we never struggled to conceive each time either. I only had to look at her and the pregnancy test turned positive!
I had a chaotic lifestyle back then too. I was working and I wasn’t as healthy as I am today.
When my current partner and I decided to have a child, we struggled – she was only in her late 20s at the time too. It took almost three years for her to fall pregnant.
I talked to a mate about it and he reminded me that I am older now and sperm levels and the quality of sperm does massively decrease with age.
I didn’t realise that could be the case. So much of fertility health messages are focused on women and not on men. I’ll be gutted if I am firing blanks.
JON'S VERDICT: LIGHT BLUE
I’m really shocked that I got such a low result. I wasn’t expecting it. If anything, I thought the quality of my sperm would have registered somewhere in the middle.
My partner was surprised too, although it totally explains why it took us so long to conceive our son.
While we don’t have any plans to have any more children, this has been a real wake-up call for me. The effects of smoking for all of my adult life have finally caught up with me.
Kevin Buxton, 48, is a voice over artist and has a 16-year-old son. He is single and lives in Saffron Walden, Essex. He says…
I’m an active bloke. I swim five days a week and I go out on my mountain bike most days for an hour in the evening.
While I’m careful with my diet and watch what I drink, I do know that regular cycling can have an impact on sperm count and motility.
I did contemplate becoming a sperm donor in the past. It’s not that I wanted to be a dad or have more kids; the cash was the incentive. But the endless tests involved put me off.
If I'm honest, I’m nervous about this. I’ve had to do a bit of soul searching first.
I'm worried about getting a zero sperm count result. Most blokes have pondered at some point, “is my kid really mine?” – it's every dad’s worst nightmare.
The reason I feel like this is, as a kid growing up, I somehow always knew my father wasn’t my dad.
We just had zero connection with one another. When I had it confirmed at 18, it was a relief to know I wasn’t going mad.
I had to get my birth certificate for a passport and it was then I realised I had been adopted as a child.
But I know the results of this test wouldn’t make any difference to the relationship I have with my son.
KEVIN'S VERDICT: DARK BLUE
The result was a massive relief! It could have opened a whole can of worms that could have potentially been life-changing for me and my family.
Considering the amount of biking I do I am surprised. I did wonder if it would have had a negative effect on the quality of swimmers my body makes, but then I've never smoked and I do keep my weight in check.
If the results had been poor, my reaction probably would have been sod it. I would have wondered what the point of staying fit and healthy was.
Most likely I’d have gone out and bought a packet of fags, a takeaway and a bottle of wine.
Nemo Paoletti, 42, is a driver and lives with his partner Adriana and their four-year-old son in Clapham, South London. He says…
The big motivation for me to check my fertility is because when my partner and I decided to start a family, we were both in our late 30s.
That’s quite late for first time parents. Even so, Adriana fell pregnant straight away.
So, was it luck, or did it mean I am a fertile guy?
I think it's a brilliant idea to sell these kits in the supermarket. For men it is off-putting having to discuss these matters with a doctor or a nurse.
As a first port of call, I can do it at home with my partner. Men, and I include myself, can be shy about these issues.
I’m one of those guys who doesn’t touch alcohol or cigarettes. I used to play rugby, but these days I run to keep fit.
My shifts as a van driver mean I’m sitting down for five or six hours at a time, though around every half an hour I'm getting in and out of the cabin to drop goods off.
I do have to wear a uniform but fortunately it is loose-fitting. The trousers are a chino style cut, so they don’t encroach around the genitals. I prefer wearing boxer shorts that aren't tight, too.
I am interested to know whether my fertility is normal. While I'm sure everything is in working order, I’d be lying if I said I'm not curious about it.
NEMO'S VERDICT: MEDIUM BLUE
It took half an hour to do it in the bathroom. It was easier than I thought and I was chuffed to get a good result.
It means I am producing lots of mobile sperm. Like any guy, this was the result I was hoping for.
I was scared about it, but know I know if we want to try again for a child in the future, there is nothing stopping us.
Can you count on the results?
There are several male fertility home-testing kits available to buy from pharmacies. These tests claim to indicate whether your sperm count is low.
It may be tempting to try one of the tests if you would rather not see your GP, but you should be aware that:
- although research by the manufacturers suggests these tests can give an accurate indication of sperm count, they haven't been extensively studied
- some home-testing kits classify a low sperm count as under 20 million sperm per millilitre of semen, but more recent international guidelines state that anything above 15 million sperm per millilitre of semen is normal
- some kits only check the number of sperm, not other things that can affect fertility such as how well the sperm are able to move (motility) – it's best to use a kit that measures both these things.
While these tests might sometimes give a useful indication of your sperm count, they may also give you false reassurance or may suggest your sperm count is low when it's actually perfectly normal.
It's better to see your GP for a proper semen analysis at an accredited laboratory if you're concerned about your fertility. Information supplied by the NHS website.
Dr. Roisin McHugh, of Assured Pharmacy, is neither for nor against these types of DIY tests, but cautions: "This is very different to hospital testing, when typically a man has to keep the sample at body temperature and get to lab within a short time frame.
"Of course a man should discuss fertility with his GP after the test, as many factors are at play; for example, overall health, smoking, blood pressure, lifestyle etc."
Apparently eating a handful of nuts a day significantly improves fertility in men.
Meanwhile protein shakes may cut sperm count in the same way as illegal anabolic steroids, experts claimed earlier this year.
We previously revealed five reasons your man’s fertility may be suffering – and how he can fix it.
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