Between “stretch” boxers and loose underpants, the choice must be made on the first option, if the man has a desire for fatherhood. In any case, this is what researchers from Harvard University in the United States suggest in a new study published in the journal Human reproduction. The results highlight that men who wear loose underwear frequently have higher sperm concentrations and total sperm count than their counterparts who wear tight underwear.
To understand how the choice of men’s underwear can impact fertility, the researchers analyzed the results of the spermograms of 656 men aged 32 to 39 between 2000 and 2017, in the assisted reproduction service at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston (United States).
More mobile sperm
Men who wore loose-fitting underwear had 25% higher sperm concentrations than men who mainly wore tight-fitting types of underwear. The total sperm count was 17% higher in the former compared to the followers of stretch underwear. Underwear lovers also had a higher rate of mobile sperm. Sperm are better able to travel through the female reproductive system and fertilize an egg, according to study reviewed by Business insider.
Another finding, wearers of tight underwear secreted morefollicle stimulating hormone (FSH), which plays a role in male fertility and stimulates sperm production. For researchers, this is a compensation mechanism for low sperm levels.
These findings join another study warning of a bad habit for sperm health. Conducted in 2014 by the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, its results suggested that having the wearable in pocket near private parts affected sperm quality.
Read also
IVF: 8 million births
Soy could adversely affect semen quality
Nuts for male fertility
