Heat and Fertility

Before exercise ‘one should warm up first’. Before driving a car ‘one should warm up the car first’. Before ripening of fruits and vegetables ‘the weather should warm up first’. Seemingly warmth is good and essential to life. Yet when it comes to male fertility; warmth is a pure evil.

Testis is the prime source of male fertility, and upholding its safety ensures satisfactory sperm formation and testosterone hormone
secretion. The testes hang outside the body, unlike the ovaries in the females that exist inside the body.

Let me explain, testicular function is temperature dependent, and warming of the testis represents a major suppressing factor to the process of sperm formation. Being situated exteriorly, aims to lower its temperature by approximately 2 degrees °C below the core body temperature, which is an optimal condition for sperm formation. Several conditions can raise the temperature around the testis and should be avoided whenever feasible. Common examples include:

Wearing tight pants or under garments, presence of varicocele (which are dilated veins that abnormally appear around the testis, causing rise in temperature and deliberate release of toxins, both ultimately resulting in suppressed sperm formation), being situated in close proximity to sources of heat like working in factories or close to ovens, or even placing portable computers (laptops) over the thighs, frequent use of hot tubs, sauna and heated whirlpools (jacuzzis) and obesity (accumulation of fat at the thighs can raise temperature around the scrotum).

Those scenarios though are the most commonly encountered, others may still exist.

That being said, rise in temperature around the testes from any source can cause testicular damage resulting in reduced sperm formation and suppressed fertility. In other words, to boost your sperm counts and produce healthy and strong runners down there; avoid heating your balls.