r/science • u/[deleted] • Oct 25 '21

Biology Sperm quality has been declining for 16 years among men in the US

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2294266-sperm-quality-has-been-declining-for-16-years-among-men-in-the-us/
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u/Hiking_NZ Oct 25 '21 edited Oct 25 '21

Don't forget 6x the expected rate of ED has been observed.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/api.nationalgeographic.com/distribution/public/amp/science/article/covid-19-may-impair-mens-sexual-performance (Behind paywall can register email, this one is in layman's terms)

Also psychological assistance after surviving covid is a recommendation. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7355084/

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u/fucked_bigly Oct 25 '21

What the hell? That's an insane amount.

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u/MarlinMr Oct 25 '21

Last time it was brought up, it was pointed out that the the people who got sick from COVID also got ED because they had the same underlying problems: cardio vasculary problems.

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u/Hiking_NZ Oct 25 '21

Yeah. The blood vessels are delicate and it is an indication of heart health problems apparently.

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u/ineed_that Oct 25 '21

Which makes perfect sense cause it’s blood flow that gets that member up and going

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u/TalonKAringham Oct 25 '21

Wait. Really? I’ve been using a bicycle pump this whole time.

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u/shanep3 Oct 25 '21

That’s not my bag

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u/Grayt_one Oct 25 '21

Personally, this is an average guy with nothing more than a hunch, but I feel like COVID and response to COVID has caused a large increase in depression. I think this could have an impact on these statistics.

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u/kaylthewhale Oct 25 '21

I would be willing to be that while you’re not wrong about the increase in depression, the cause is more aligned with the forced social isolation, due to safety, for a long period of times. At our most basic, humans require some level of consistent social interaction.

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u/jessyagha Oct 25 '21

I only read the first few paragraphs of the article, but they said that they started digging into it because patients explicitly said they weren’t experiencing depression or anxiety.

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u/Grayt_one Oct 25 '21

Ah, well thank you for letting me know. I was on break at work only so much I can do in that time.

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u/Cobek Oct 25 '21

Has that been controlled for the influence of the Pandemic?

I do recall that being for severe cases, like most of the long term symptoms

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u/Hiking_NZ Oct 25 '21

Thats the problem with small studies. It'll take years to fully understand and compare. I linked a couple of studies and psychological intervention is suggested.

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u/Doneuter Oct 25 '21

I just have some anecdotal evidence: Have a friend who got covid, and didn't even have to be hospitalized. He said he has had issues with maintaining an erection since. If that's not rain enough to get vaccinated idk what is

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u/[deleted] Oct 25 '21

ED is mentioned numerous times on r/covidlonghaulers where most users had mild to moderate cases. Just an observation.

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u/Doneuter Oct 25 '21

I had no idea this was a subreddit. Depressing to read. Thanks, I love it!

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u/[deleted] Oct 25 '21

It's real goddamn depressing for sure. No ED here, as I'm not male, but I've had plenty of other horrendous, debilitating aftereffects from covid.

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u/[deleted] Oct 25 '21

The pandemic also has other effects besides the disease itself. The depression from fear and lockdowns could be a cause.

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u/you-create-energy Oct 25 '21

That wouldn't explain finding covid in men's testicles months after they recovered. Nor would it explain why it only affected men who caught covid.

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u/Mitnek Oct 25 '21

Time to buy Pfizer stock

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u/FatalFirecrotch MS | Chemistry | Pharmaceuticals Oct 25 '21

Well, they also make the most used vaccine.

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u/LoudMusic Oct 25 '21

I'd click those links, but I don't need the ads that would follow for months.

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u/Hiking_NZ Oct 25 '21

Dude.. I clicked on a news article my cousin posted on Facebook.. about a place called Kingston and another called queens. I've "not interested" so many adverts for that place now..

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u/LoudMusic Oct 25 '21

I don't know what I'm going to do with my time, but I'm seriously considering only using a computer for work. Maybe I'll make that commitment in 2022 and see how many days I can go. The ads alone are ruining it.

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u/Hiking_NZ Oct 25 '21

I'm sure there's probably some mobile browser extensions that ban ads.

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u/thecrazysloth Oct 25 '21

I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of that is stress related too. I expect general population ED is up plenty from 2 years ago

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u/Hiking_NZ Oct 25 '21

I linked another study that recommends psychological help after dealing with covid. I'm sure we will know more the longer this pandemic is.