3 minute read
researchers at the harvard t. h. chan school of public health have spent almost two decades collecting male sperm samples, and they might have come to an interesting conclusion on the age-old boxers versus briefs debate.
this study also found a correlation between the types of underwear worn and hormone levels in the male body. men who wore briefs, and had a subsequent lower sperm count, also had a higher level of follicle stimulating hormone (fsh) in their sperm samples. fsh stimulates the production of sperm in men and higher-than-average levels are connected to infertility.
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the dangly features on most male mammals allow the body to keep the testicles two to seven degrees celsius cooler than the rest of the body — an important factor in preserving sperm ability.
warming the testicles up to body temperature can have a serious effect on sperm. in 1985, a team of researchers developed a piece of underwear that would push a male’s testicles back up into the abdomen via the inguinal canal. fourteen men wore this brace every day for six months. at the start of the experiment all study participants had an average sperm count and motility, however, two months into the experiments these measurements dropped significantly and continued to decrease for the next four months. this experiment was so successful in decreasing the presence of viable swimmers in the participants that the researchers suggested the use of the brace as a potential male contraceptive.
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if heat is bad, what about cold? in 1984, a study published in the journal of urology had participants sleep with ice packs applied to their testicles and held in place via jockey shorts. at the end of the study, 65 per cent of participants saw a significant increase in sperm count and motility. although there was no specific temperature reported in the study, the results seem to be clear — cold is good and hot is bad.
“[wearing boxers] probably isn’t helping most men, but it probably is helping some men,” jorge chavarro, a fertility researcher at the harvard t. h. chan school of public health and a member of the research team, told the new yorker . “and since most men have no idea what their sperm count is, if you’re trying for a baby, it’s not such a bad idea.”
emjones@postmedia.com | @jonesyjourn