Fertility risk for drivers
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• Long-distance lorry drivers are at greater risk of infertility and should throw away their tight underpants, claims the latest research.
A survey of nearly 600 men conducted by Dr Stewart Irvine of the Medical Research Council in Edinburgh, suggests that the quality of semen among British men is falling at such a rate that they could be infertile within 60 years.
Dr Irvine believes excess testicular warmth generated by long periods of sitting inhibits the production of sperm.
He is supported by an earlier French survey of 5,000 couples who were asked how long it took them to conceive. The study concluded that couples where the man drove for more than three hours a day took between four and six months longer to conceive than other couples.
Only one in 12 men suffer from sperm irregularities, but occupations such as lorry or taxi-driving could increase the risk of infertility among such men. He says lorry drivers should not be panicked into giving up their jobs but offers the following advice: "If you are sitting on your testicles all day, keep them cool by wearing loose-fitting underwear."