page_title: Male infertility crisis
section_title: Development and History
hierarchical_section_title: Male infertility crisis / Development and History
caption_attribution_description: English: Micrograph showing changes a testicular biopsy for infertility with hypospermatogenesis and Sertoli cells only. H&amp;E stain. Related images MI - low mag. MI - intermed. mag. MI - intermed. mag. MI - high mag. MI - high mag.
context_page_description: The male infertility crisis is a term that has risen to prominence driven by the popular media in the 20th and 21st century. Subsequently, later having been adopted by the medical academic research in studying male infertility. The term of male fertility crisis has now been adopted to become a study subject itself. The male infertility crisis has been described as the ongoing rapid decrease in sperm quality and subsequent challenges in male infertility. The earliest indications of this decrease first emerged in the 1970s. From this period there has been a steady decline of 1.4% in sperm counts. The matter is particularly relevant in the west in New Zealand, Australia, Europe & North America. A reduction in other parts of the world has yet to be observed.
  In its original form, it had begun as a study on male fertility. Evolving into a term used by journalists in the media as a common headline for the reporting for studies concerning sperm, infertility and declining male sexual performance.
  Hypotheses for the causes of the crisis is still subject to ongoing further research.
context_section_description: Beginning in the 1970s & 1980s, the first studies were published that observed declines in the sperm quality and later sperm quantities of men. One of the earliest studies in a paper published in 1974 by Nelson et al. had observed decreases in the sperm quality with lower concentrations and volumes in particular increase in the percentage of observations with abnormalities in sperm. Often these earlier findings have been criticised in the conduct having been cited for various faults including issues of sampling selection and various other inaccuracies in the obtaining of data. There were various reports published in the 1970s & 1980s that had not found similar declines. An example is a research paper by Niecheslag et al. in 1982 concluded no decline. Instead found no parameter changes in sperm. However, the claims are not completely unfounded it reflected a general shift in societal patterns changes in sexual behaviour, the prevalence drugs, preferences for later marriages and fatherhood that brought the earliest signs to attention
  In 1980 the World Health Organisation published its first publication, a laboratory manual for semen analysis. This set the parameters for the worldwide measurement standards in sperm quality and normality.
  Limited research in the 1980s found the first signs behind the decline with links to general environmental degradation.
caption: Male infertility changes in testicular biopsy.
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