Lately sperm has been all over the front pages. It began in 1992 with University of Copenhagen researcher Niels Skakkebaek, whose meta- analysis of world fertility studies since the 1930s suggested a dramatic decline in global sperm counts. New evidence suggests Skakkebaek’s pronouncements may have been a case of premature you-know-what. In an article published last May, Harry Fisch, director of the Male Reproductive Center at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City, reviewed sperm counts in samples from 1,283 men in New York, Minnesota, and California who had banked sperm before a vasectomy. The data, spanning 1970 to 1994, showed sperm counts on the rise in all three states.
Fisch believes Skakkebaek’s gloomy findings may have reflected geographic differences rather than long-term changes. Most of Skakkebaek’s pre-1970 data came from New York, whereas later data came from developing countries--where sperm counts are generally lower. If Fisch’s data are ...
