Our founder, Lina, shared today that when she was trying to conceive she made her partner Tyler sit on a bag of frozen peas…..yes, you heard right, frozen peas! It’s a pretty funny image – but…
What exactly is the science behind cool testicles and sperm health?
It’s fair to say there is no science behind sitting on frozen peas, so if you are trying to conceive and have a male partner please don’t get any ideas…
So here is the actual science. Testicles are outside the body because, to produce the best quality sperm, they need to be kept slightly cooler than the rest of the body.
The ideal temperature for sperm production is around 34.5C, which is slightly below body temperature (around 37C).
So it is in fact true that keeping testicles cool may help. So you can see how Lina made the leap to frozen peas…
Of course, there are many other complex causes of male infertility,
How to cool testicles?
The NHS recommends that if your job involves working in a hot environment, take regular breaks outside. And if you sit still for long periods, get up and move around regularly.
There was some recent research that wearing looser underpants could improve their sperm count. In a study of 656 men, by researchers at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, in the US, boxer short wearers had a 25% higher sperm concentration than men in tight-fitting underwear!
This was the largest study of its kind to date. The researchers found that men attending a fertility clinic with looser-fitting boxer shorts had higher sperm concentration, and a 17% higher total sperm count and 33% more swimming sperm than men with tighter-fitting underwear. However, the sperm shape wasn’t affected and neither was the DNA quality. So definitely something to think about the next time you go shopping.
