Driving Long Distance Can Cause Low Sperm Count-Experts Warn
Long Distance Drivers Are Prone To Low Sperm Count
Studies have shown that people that drive long distances are at risk of having low sperm count.
Medical experts have said that it is not good for the scrotal area to be exposed to heat for too long.
According to them, the testicles are supposed to be cooler than the normal body temperature, and sitting for a long period on testicles could lower a man’s sperm count.
They said untreated infections, surgery, alcohol, and environmental lifestyle could affect the quality of a man’s sperm cells.
An Urologist consultant, Dr. Gabriel Ogah said “For long-distance drivers who sit in vehicles that are not air-conditioned for many hours, like trailer drivers, it may be possible that they have low sperm count.
“The heat of the engine of trucks or trailers can affect the testes when they are close to the engine. Sometimes, if you sit behind the driver, you will notice that it is hot, now imagine the driver sitting on the engine; the heat from the engine can kill the sperm cells.”
A consultant Obstetrician and gynaecologist, Dr. Joseph Akinde said the heat from the truck engine could lead to the impairment of spermatogenesis.
Spermatogenesis is the origin and development of the sperm cells within the male reproductive organs, the testes.
“For long-distance drivers, particularly truck drivers, the engine of the truck is under their seats and this heats the scrotal area with resultant impairment of spermatogenesis. Also, on account of staying away from home, they often indulge in extramarital affairs during which they may contract infections, which may adversely affect their fertility status,” Dr. Akinde added.
However, the experts said that men with low sperm count could still impregnate women.
Another consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Dr. Stanley Egbogu, said, “If someone has a low sperm count, before now, it was difficult for a man to get a woman pregnant. So, what we do now is sperm concentration. We wash off the dead ones to prepare the semen and make it active. There are some chemicals we add to the ones that are alive to make them swim faster; even the ones that are ready to die, we make them swim faster.”
He concluded by saying the treatment for low sperm count depended on the cause.
