To each his own
Silicon Valley has taken up the restoration of male fertility
Yulia Krasilnikova, Hi-tech+
IVF procedures in a number of countries are covered by medical insurance, and corporations give bonuses to employees for the egg freezing procedure. The problem of female fertility has already become mainstream, and men are just beginning to talk openly about it. Silicon Valley startups were the first to seize on the new trend. They sell homemade sperm kits and offer to put the germ cells in a cryobank before it's too late.
Male fertility has remained an almost taboo topic for many years – new studies were conducted infrequently, and reproductive doctors more often focused on women's health problems. No one suspected a hidden threat until a team of scientists published a study in 2017 based on a meta-analysis of 185 scientific papers and semen samples collected over the past 40 years.
Experts have found that the concentration of sperm has been steadily decreasing in recent years. From 1973 to 2011, the indicator decreased by 59%.
The discovery worried not only urologists and anthropologists, but also activists advocating for men's rights. Supporters of the movement said that society provoked the feminization of the male population, which affected biological indicators. Some activists linked the problem to the spread of soy products and hormones in the water supply system. Many have even become interested in testosterone replacement therapy.
Startups from Silicon Valley did not build theories, but immediately saw business opportunities. About the new trend tells New York Times. The newspaper found dozens of startups that provide services for assessing male fertility. Sandstone Diagnostics sells homemade mini centrifuges that count sperm for $200. Another company – Yo Home Sperm Test – produces portable microscopes for smartphones that not only count the number of sperm, but also determine their viability and activity. The startup promises 97% accuracy of results, and its tests have already been licensed by the US regulator FDA.
Startups offer cryobanks for freezing sperm to clients with good indicators. In January, the Legacy company was created on the basis of the Harvard National Laboratory, which calls itself "the Swiss private bank for your most valuable assets."
Despite the boom among startups, the scientific community did not react to the problem. The authors of a study published last year admit that the stigma around men's health is to blame. "Reproduction of offspring has never been considered a male problem. This area causes discomfort," explained one of the researchers Shanna Swann.
At the same time, a low concentration of spermatozoa entails not only problems with the conception of offspring, but also an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer. Moreover, scientists warn that the indicators will continue to decline if urgent measures are not taken.
However, some doctors are skeptical about the discovery of a group of scientists. In their opinion, male fertility rates can fluctuate even within one day. In addition, with such a decrease in the concentration of spermatozoa, fertility rates would have fallen record-breaking, which has not yet happened.
Some doctors believe that there is nothing to worry about, and the change in sperm quality is due to a change in lifestyle, in other words, evolution. Men are less likely to have to demonstrate their physical strength, although this was previously an essential condition for competition. People have started to live better and longer, eat more and gain more weight – and this may also be the reason for changes in fertility rates.
While some scientists are sounding the alarm about a possible decrease in fertility, others are working on male contraceptives. In the spring, a new study confirmed the effectiveness of EP055 – at least in monkeys. The drug reduced sperm motility in primates, but it did not affect hormones. Clinical trials of the contraceptive gel will start in the USA this summer based on testosterone and progestin steroids. It is enough to rub the ointment into the shoulders daily so that after 8-12 weeks of use, sperm production drops to a value that makes conception impossible.
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