Various factors such as high ambient temperature in living or occupational environment and unhealthy Therefore, living habits will increase the temperature of the scrotum, causing negative effects on the body sperm quality. There is an urgent need to develop recommendations and tactics to protect the health of people living or working in hot environments, especially their fertility, because in a study of frequent sauna users, Male reproductive function is disrupted and may be altered.
There have been several proposed biological mechanisms for how heat affects male fertility. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr M Niharika, Gynecologist at Kamineni Hospital in LB Nagar, Hyderabad, explains: “When ambient temperature is high, nitric oxide crystallizes (NO), synthesizing oxides nitric (NOS), macrophage movement inhibitor (MIF), and sperm levels were also high. Chromosome condensation, Caspase-3 activity, and DNA integrity were all increased. Although the concentration of Caspase-3 (Cysteine-requiring Aspartate Protease) is an important screening enzyme for apoptosis. Different percentages of ejaculated sperm exhibit other markers of terminal apoptosis when Caspase-3 is activated and the integrity of DNA fragmentation is lost.”
Responding to a scathing question and revealing whether hot baths reduce male fertility, she said: “Spermogenesis is a complex, multi-step process involved in proliferation. and differentiation of the seminiferous tubules into mature spermatozoa. During spermatogenesis, the optimal temperature of the testes is 2 to 4 degrees Celsius lower than body temperature. This is why the testes are placed in a scrotal sac outside the abdomen unlike the muscles. other authority. Living in a high temperature environment and an unhealthy lifestyle can damage sperm. In addition, the duration of heat exposure is also an important factor because simply taking a hot bath or sauna does not immediately damage sperm. If the patient is constantly exposed to direct heat to the skin of the scrotum in the case of a hot bath or sauna, it will definitely affect the spermatogenesis process.”
She adds, “Other factors that contribute to higher testicular temperature include habits, lifestyle, tight clothing, occupational factors (such as prolonged exposure to high temperatures), and Climate Change. Investigations into the relationship between elevated ambient temperature and various sperm parameters in humans have produced conflicting and inconclusive results. By 2020, multiple studies have demonstrated that heat stress increases the temperature of testicular tissue, reducing sperm concentration and motility in individuals with scrotal heat.”
Emphasizing that human sperm is damaged by heat stress because it loses viability, motility and density, the health expert further explains, “Sperm production decreases by 14% for every degree Celsius testicular temperature increases. Sperm motility is significantly reduced due to high ambient temperature due to reduced mitochondrial activity and ATP synthesis. Heat stress induces apoptosis in testicular tissue through mitochondrial pathways or DNA damage. Male infertility can also be caused by damaged sperm in the DNA of the vas deferens breaking down under the influence of high ambient temperatures. Thus, heat stress poses a significant risk to testicular tissue, sperm quality and risk of infertility. The significant decline in spermatogenesis, such as changes in sperm index, mitochondrial dysfunction and closure of sperm DNA, is due to exposure to high heat in the sauna.”
