If your job is physically taxing, you may be benefitting with a higher sperm count.
A new study conducted by researchers from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Mass General Brigham at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that men with jobs that require them to regularly lift or move heavy objects have more sperm.
The findings of the study were published in the journal Human Reproduction. The study was conducted to determine the impact of environmental and lifestyle factors on fertility.
About the research
The study focused on 377 male partners in couples seeking treatment at a fertility center, to determine whether professional or occupational factors are associated with one’s testicular function.
The men shared self-reported information about their typical work days. This included information about their level of physical exertion at work, such as whether they were involved in lifting or moving heavy objects.
Findings show benefits of physical efforts at work
“Men who reported often lifting or moving heavy objects at work had 46 per cent higher sperm concentrations and 44 per cent higher total counts compared with men who reported never lifting or moving heavy objects at work,” according to the findings.
Higher circulating testosterone concentrations
The researchers also found that the men involved in heavy or moderate levels of physical exertion at work had “higher circulating testosterone concentrations compared to those with lighter exertion,” as well as “higher estradiol concentrations,” the female hormone.
Day/night shifts and testosterone levels
The study also found that men who worked night shifts or rotating shifts had 24 per cent higher testosterone and 45 per cent higher estrogen concentrations than men who only worked day shifts.
Contradicting previous research
The findings of this study contradicts previous research which reported that “work-related heavy exertion was related to lower sperm concentration and total sperm count, and shift work was not associated with semen quality”.
The study authors noted that additional research is required to further understand the link between physically taxing jobs and sperm count.
“Uncovering actionable steps people can take to improve their fertility stands to benefit all of us, not just couples trying to conceive,” study author Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón, a reproductive epidemiologist and co-investigator of the EARTH study, told Harvard University.
