>
> > I seem to remember a Scottish study (sorry, no references ;( )
> > that found a steady decline in sperm count for Scottish men in the
> > last couple decades.
>
> Perhaps a decline in the practice of wearing kilts? : )
Actually, that *is* a plausible explanation. (For verification it
would be helpful to determine if there really was a decline in
kilt-wearing.)
The male scrotum is a temperature regulation device: it shrinks or
enlarges in an attempt to keep the testes at an optimal temperature
by adjusting their distance from the body.
It has been observed in the US that snug underwear (confining the
testes close to the body and providing them with a snug coat as well
--> overheating) causes a drop in sperm counts. This is an easily
reversible change, though, usually fixed by having the man switch to
boxer-style briefs.
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