Ice on testicles and donating blood - the myths sold to men trying to boost their sperm

ByJacqui Wakefield

Global wellness reporter

Every morning, Simon starts his time successful a sauna, with an crystal battalion strapped to his groin.

"I spot it connected the testicles successful bid to sphere precocious sperm count," helium says.

He believes the vigor helps him sweat retired toxins, improving his sperm relation - but says helium indispensable instrumentality attraction to support his testicles from the excessive heat.

The 28-year-old from Miami gets regular sunlight exposure, exercises regularly, lone drinks filtered h2o and wears fabric boxer shorts - each portion of a fertility-focused wellness authorities which helium follows contempt immoderate aesculapian grounds to beryllium it works.

There is an constituent of information down these claims - biology pollutants and heating the testes tin interaction sperm quality.

But it's improbable these steps Simon takes volition marque a monolithic quality to his fertility, though exercising volition amended wide health.

He is portion of a increasing fig of men paying adjacent attraction to their fertility. On TikTok and Instagram, hashtags specified arsenic #malefertility, #semenanalysis and #sperm pull hundreds of millions of views, portion online communities dedicated to improving sperm wellness person grown rapidly.

Simon is not readying to person children immoderate clip soon and doesn't person a spouse - helium is much acrophobic with whether a debased sperm number could impact his health.

He worries if helium has debased fertility it could impact thing called the endocrine system, a web of glands and organs successful complaint of releasing hormones successful the body.

But determination isn't grounds this is the case.

A debased sperm number won't trigger endocrine problems, though they whitethorn hap unneurotic successful immoderate people.

Male fertility experts astir the satellite accidental they person seen an summation successful the fig of men requesting semen investigation and expressing concerns astir their aboriginal fertility.

The experts judge this is partially owed to concerns astir the interaction of testosterone replacement therapies (TRT), steroids and definite biology toxins each of which tin adversely interaction hormones liable for sperm count.

UK-based fertility adept Prof Suks Minhas says that determination are pros and cons to the accrued treatment astir declining sperm and antheral fertility.

"It is important to rise the illustration of antheral infertility. But are we fuelling that interest unnecessarily?"

Meanwhile, an manufacture of influencers and products are emerging successful response, capitalising connected this anxiety, helium adds.

Like galore others, Simon archetypal became funny successful fertility done societal media, wherever influencers speaking astir declining sperm counts sparked his concern. Yet helium has ne'er had a semen investigation and has nary circumstantial crushed to deliberation helium has a fertility problem.

"It's thing that I'm mostly frightened of, truthful I take to support my fertility," helium says.

It was contented from influencer Bryan Johnson that led to Simon "really caring" astir his fertility.

Johnson, an ex-Silicon Valley billionaire, gained fame for wanting to unrecorded forever. He has been self-experimenting utilizing arguable methods successful an effort to widen his lifespan for the past 5 years.

He claims helium has 4 times the mean sperm number according to 5 laboratory tests implicit the abstraction of 3 months.

He promotes the unproven sauna and crystal battalion protocols to summation testosterone and sperm count, which Simon follows.

Johnson's contented - followed by much than six cardinal radical - drives his followers backmost to his website, Blueprint, wherever helium sells supplements.

He is acold from the lone voice. Other protocols promoted by influencers without aesculapian grounds person included definite supplements, reddish airy therapy, and donating humor to "filter out" microplastics.

This benignant of influencer contented comes successful the aftermath of wider discussions astir declining commencement rates.

Globally, commencement rates person dropped from 4.9 babies per pistillate successful 1950 to 2.2 successful 2025, with 106 countries present beneath the replacement complaint of 2.1, external, according to the UN World Population Prospects successful 2025.

The US Secretary for Health, Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has promoted immoderate unproven wellness claims, precocious spoke of a "fertility crisis", arguing that successful 1970, "men had doubly the sperm number arsenic our teenagers bash today".

Large-scale analyses person suggested a important planetary driblet successful sperm count, external and prime since the 1970s, but it isn't casual to marque a nonstop examination betwixt young men contiguous and the older men successful the 1970s, property was not a absorption of the study.

Overall, determination is statement that sperm number and prime is successful decline, but immoderate information suggests the diminution whitethorn not beryllium arsenic drastic arsenic feared.

According to a 2023 meta-review of falling sperm counts, external, the country is under-researched with the causes of sperm number diminution and the impacts connected commencement rates remaining unclear.

Studies from 2024 , externaland 2025 , externalwhich looked astatine much localised populations successful the USA and Denmark recovered nary specified driblet successful sperm count, and called for further research.

Meanwhile, manosphere-adjacent influencers similar Andrew Huberman person discussed declining antheral sperm counts connected their podcasts, with Joe Rogan informing of an impending "population collapse".

But determination are galore non-biological reasons for the commencement complaint decline. According to the UN's 2025 authorities of the satellite colonisation report, 39% of radical cited fiscal reasons for not having the fig of kids they wanted, portion 1 successful 5 cited biology and governmental instability., external

Prof Channa Jayasena, a reproductive endocrinologist astatine Imperial College, London, believes determination is country for valid interest astir falling sperm counts, but says claims astir antheral fertility problems are overblown connected societal media.

"There are definite challenges retired there, but it's acold from wide what those causes are," helium says.

Despite the unclear representation erstwhile it comes to the causes of antheral infertility, unproven solutions are being sold crossed societal media.

Naturopath Lucas is 1 of the wellness influencers whose contented includes warnings astir fertility rates.

"We're seeing a worldwide epidemic, a alteration successful fertility crossed the board," helium tells the BBC.

But Lucas's interest comes with immoderate misleading claims - for example, helium told his YouTube assemblage that men would beryllium infertile successful 33 years, which is unsupported by technological evidence.

He sells online courses, provides 1:1 coaching, and sells supplements for men looking to summation testosterone and fertility.

His societal media content, which promotes immoderate unproven fertility protocols, has gone viral.

"I urge to guys to use an crystal battalion up against his underwear, 2 to 3 times a time for astir 10 to 15 minutes," helium says, claiming clients person told him their partners person fallen large aft trying this.

"This is much preliminary. I bash deliberation that it's a viable capable strategy to springiness it a shot," helium claims.

When questioned astir the unproven quality of his advice, Lucas said helium believed icing the testes was a "promising intervention" but added that helium would similar to spot much research.

NHS guidance connected debased sperm number , externaldoes accidental choky underwear tin summation the somesthesia of your testicles which whitethorn impact the prime of your sperm.

Lucas besides advises followers and clients astir steadfast eating, slumber and workout - steps which bash person a beardown grounds base.

Prof Jayasena recommends manner changes to amended fertility.

"If determination are immoderate reversible things specified arsenic [quitting] smoking, specified arsenic [losing] value and expanding carnal activity," helium says, "that's by acold the champion happening you tin do."

This summation successful fertility proposal from influencers comes alongside a emergence successful the fig of men taking testosterone-boosting drugs.

But taking steroids and testosterone tin harm antheral fertility.

To effort to reverse this damage, influencers beforehand "stacks" of antithetic medications - which they often merchantability connected their websites.

These see fertility medications HCG and HMG. While these drugs are sometimes fixed for circumstantial aesculapian reasons, they are not designed for different radical to usage to "switch on" fertility."

They tin person unsafe broadside effects and tin origin imperishable harm erstwhile taken without aesculapian guidance.

"It's incredibly dangerous," Jayasena says. "[Some] tin origin humor clots, it tin really origin bosom growth, which tin beryllium disfiguring if not treated promptly."

We spoke to 7 antithetic men astir the satellite who were each consuming fertility "stacks" to get their fertility backmost aft taking TRT. Because it is amerciable to bargain drugs similar steroids online, they requested anonymity.

One antheral told maine helium thought helium would begetter "many children" erstwhile helium "blasted HMG and HCG".

Jamal, not his existent name, took precocious doses of testosterone and steroids for bodybuilding, which lowered his fertility markers. He stopped precocious past twelvemonth erstwhile helium and his spouse started to deliberation astir having kids.

He recovered fertility proposal from men who were having the aforesaid acquisition connected online forums and YouTube, with galore suggesting "fool-proof fertility stacks".

After these did not help, helium sought nonrecreational assistance and met reproductive endocrinologist Jayasena. Until then, helium was not alert that taking these fertility "stacks" unmonitored could beryllium dangerous.

Jamal has ceased each medication, including the fertility stack, nether Jayasena's advice. Six months later, his earthy testosterone levels are improving, however, the hormone which stimulates sperm accumulation is inactive low. He and his specializer are hopeful it volition improve.

While accrued consciousness of antheral fertility is positive, it's created a vacuum of information, Jayasena warns - meaning men similar Jamal instrumentality proposal from influencers due to the fact that experts are not ever accessible.

"It could, astatine the precise best, really distract them from doing the things that mightiness really help, but astatine worst it could really get them to bash things that are harmful," helium adds.