Nov. 29, 2010 Reduced male fertility may be making it even
harder for couples to conceive and be contributing to low birth
rates in many countries, reveals a new European Science
Foundation (ESF) report launching at the IPSEN meeting in Paris.
More than 10% of couples worldwide are infertile, contributing
to the growing demand for assisted reproduction techniques such
as in vitro fertilisation (IVF) for which Robert G. Edwards won
the Nobel Prize in Medicine last month. Sperm counts have
dropped significantly in the last 50 years in developed
countries. Today, at least one in five 18-25 year old men in
Europe have semen quality in the subfertile range. Testosterone
levels are also declining. This is mirrored by increasing
testicular cancer in most industrialised countries and more
developmental abnormalities such as undescended testes. All of
these factors are linked to reduced fertility and may have
common origins during foetal development. "The important impact
of men's reproductive health on a couple's fer