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.sperm samples were taken from 656 men who were part of couples seeking treatment for infertility between 2000 and 2017. based on a take-home questionnaire on types of underwear the men preferred, the researchers found that primarily wearing boxers was correlated with a 25 per cent higher sperm concentration and 17 per cent higher sperm count than men who reported they preferred tighty-whities and other forms of underwear.the study didn’t collect data on men who let it all hang out and go commando on a daily basis.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.the study was not able to identify if wearing boxers caused an increase in fsh, if it was a compensation mechanism due to the lower sperm count, or if there was a third unknown factor. the researchers also did not find any differences in other reproductive hormones they tested for.this might not come as a surprise to couples currently trying to conceive. sperm is produced in the testicles, which on most male mammals is located in a sac outside of the body. in some regards, this is a confusing aspect of male anatomy — why have such a delicate organ outside of the body, in such a vulnerable location?as the theory goes, it is actually more advantageous to have testicles outside of the body than inside.
cool the jewels
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.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.researchers caution that while wearing boxers clearly increases sperm count, that doesn’t necessarily mean that briefs reduce overall male fertility in men who wear them.“[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.”this the next thing we implore scientists to look into: where do boxer briefs fit in on the boxer vs. brief paradigm?
emjones@postmedia.com |
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