Why do hot water baths affect only males' fertility? Why not females'?
Clash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP
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Here is the link where urologists are warning men not to take hot water baths.
Why does it affect only males' fertility? Why not females also?
human-biology sex health
New contributor
add a comment |Â
up vote
11
down vote
favorite
Here is the link where urologists are warning men not to take hot water baths.
Why does it affect only males' fertility? Why not females also?
human-biology sex health
New contributor
@PeterMortensen By two tags, ignoring the question?
â rus9384
yesterday
1
@PeterMortensen Posting xkcd links is fun but they should be actually relevant. A comic about memes popular in 2009 doesn't become relevant to a question about male fertility just because both involve pregnancy somehow.
â user568458
yesterday
2
For what it's worth, the article is making unsubstantiated scare claims that, as far as I know, have no basis in research. Temperature affects sperm production and viability but is not believed to have any adverse long-term effects on the body. There is (unfortunately limited in number of studies and sample size) research on contraceptive use, credited to Dr. Marthe Voegeli.
â R..
yesterday
I dont know if baths last long enough to really reduce sperm count, but wearing synthetic underwear can elevate scrotum temperature enough to be used as a contraceptive. The effect is also reversible. Ahmed Shafik won the 2016 igNobel prize for reproduction for this research. Unfortunately, the study had a small sample size. Anyone care to reproduce (the study, not yourselves, obviously)?
â Ivana
18 hours ago
1
@Ivana: Unless you like really, unpleasantly hot baths, I seriously doubt it's going to have any effect. It seems you need sustained temperatures above 37°C, which requires either really good insulation, ongoing heating or replacement of the water, or initial temperatures that would likely be scalding.
â R..
13 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
11
down vote
favorite
up vote
11
down vote
favorite
Here is the link where urologists are warning men not to take hot water baths.
Why does it affect only males' fertility? Why not females also?
human-biology sex health
New contributor
Here is the link where urologists are warning men not to take hot water baths.
Why does it affect only males' fertility? Why not females also?
human-biology sex health
human-biology sex health
New contributor
New contributor
edited yesterday
Peter Mortensen
1594
1594
New contributor
asked 2 days ago
K Sai Harsha
5815
5815
New contributor
New contributor
@PeterMortensen By two tags, ignoring the question?
â rus9384
yesterday
1
@PeterMortensen Posting xkcd links is fun but they should be actually relevant. A comic about memes popular in 2009 doesn't become relevant to a question about male fertility just because both involve pregnancy somehow.
â user568458
yesterday
2
For what it's worth, the article is making unsubstantiated scare claims that, as far as I know, have no basis in research. Temperature affects sperm production and viability but is not believed to have any adverse long-term effects on the body. There is (unfortunately limited in number of studies and sample size) research on contraceptive use, credited to Dr. Marthe Voegeli.
â R..
yesterday
I dont know if baths last long enough to really reduce sperm count, but wearing synthetic underwear can elevate scrotum temperature enough to be used as a contraceptive. The effect is also reversible. Ahmed Shafik won the 2016 igNobel prize for reproduction for this research. Unfortunately, the study had a small sample size. Anyone care to reproduce (the study, not yourselves, obviously)?
â Ivana
18 hours ago
1
@Ivana: Unless you like really, unpleasantly hot baths, I seriously doubt it's going to have any effect. It seems you need sustained temperatures above 37°C, which requires either really good insulation, ongoing heating or replacement of the water, or initial temperatures that would likely be scalding.
â R..
13 hours ago
add a comment |Â
@PeterMortensen By two tags, ignoring the question?
â rus9384
yesterday
1
@PeterMortensen Posting xkcd links is fun but they should be actually relevant. A comic about memes popular in 2009 doesn't become relevant to a question about male fertility just because both involve pregnancy somehow.
â user568458
yesterday
2
For what it's worth, the article is making unsubstantiated scare claims that, as far as I know, have no basis in research. Temperature affects sperm production and viability but is not believed to have any adverse long-term effects on the body. There is (unfortunately limited in number of studies and sample size) research on contraceptive use, credited to Dr. Marthe Voegeli.
â R..
yesterday
I dont know if baths last long enough to really reduce sperm count, but wearing synthetic underwear can elevate scrotum temperature enough to be used as a contraceptive. The effect is also reversible. Ahmed Shafik won the 2016 igNobel prize for reproduction for this research. Unfortunately, the study had a small sample size. Anyone care to reproduce (the study, not yourselves, obviously)?
â Ivana
18 hours ago
1
@Ivana: Unless you like really, unpleasantly hot baths, I seriously doubt it's going to have any effect. It seems you need sustained temperatures above 37°C, which requires either really good insulation, ongoing heating or replacement of the water, or initial temperatures that would likely be scalding.
â R..
13 hours ago
@PeterMortensen By two tags, ignoring the question?
â rus9384
yesterday
@PeterMortensen By two tags, ignoring the question?
â rus9384
yesterday
1
1
@PeterMortensen Posting xkcd links is fun but they should be actually relevant. A comic about memes popular in 2009 doesn't become relevant to a question about male fertility just because both involve pregnancy somehow.
â user568458
yesterday
@PeterMortensen Posting xkcd links is fun but they should be actually relevant. A comic about memes popular in 2009 doesn't become relevant to a question about male fertility just because both involve pregnancy somehow.
â user568458
yesterday
2
2
For what it's worth, the article is making unsubstantiated scare claims that, as far as I know, have no basis in research. Temperature affects sperm production and viability but is not believed to have any adverse long-term effects on the body. There is (unfortunately limited in number of studies and sample size) research on contraceptive use, credited to Dr. Marthe Voegeli.
â R..
yesterday
For what it's worth, the article is making unsubstantiated scare claims that, as far as I know, have no basis in research. Temperature affects sperm production and viability but is not believed to have any adverse long-term effects on the body. There is (unfortunately limited in number of studies and sample size) research on contraceptive use, credited to Dr. Marthe Voegeli.
â R..
yesterday
I dont know if baths last long enough to really reduce sperm count, but wearing synthetic underwear can elevate scrotum temperature enough to be used as a contraceptive. The effect is also reversible. Ahmed Shafik won the 2016 igNobel prize for reproduction for this research. Unfortunately, the study had a small sample size. Anyone care to reproduce (the study, not yourselves, obviously)?
â Ivana
18 hours ago
I dont know if baths last long enough to really reduce sperm count, but wearing synthetic underwear can elevate scrotum temperature enough to be used as a contraceptive. The effect is also reversible. Ahmed Shafik won the 2016 igNobel prize for reproduction for this research. Unfortunately, the study had a small sample size. Anyone care to reproduce (the study, not yourselves, obviously)?
â Ivana
18 hours ago
1
1
@Ivana: Unless you like really, unpleasantly hot baths, I seriously doubt it's going to have any effect. It seems you need sustained temperatures above 37°C, which requires either really good insulation, ongoing heating or replacement of the water, or initial temperatures that would likely be scalding.
â R..
13 hours ago
@Ivana: Unless you like really, unpleasantly hot baths, I seriously doubt it's going to have any effect. It seems you need sustained temperatures above 37°C, which requires either really good insulation, ongoing heating or replacement of the water, or initial temperatures that would likely be scalding.
â R..
13 hours ago
add a comment |Â
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
A mature human sperm has some mitochondria, a nucleus, an acrosome, and a flagellar apparatus. That's it. Because of the lack of other organelles in the sperm, they have to be kept in a kind of 'cold storage' so that they are viable for at least some time (usually a couple of days). The ideal temperature would be 1.8 Ã°C to 2.5 Ã°C below normal body temperature, i.e. 37.6 Ã°C or 98 Ã°F. If a man takes frequent hot water baths, his sperm count becomes low as the mature sperms get dessicated quickly.
The reason that women don't require this strict temperature regulation is that the mature ovum has the complete cellular machinery at its disposal- mitochondria, nucleus, golgi bodies, ER, the works. So it can remain viable for a much longer time (about seven days after ovulation) and has higher temperature tolerance than sperms.
1
can you add please some refferencis? Specially this "Because of the lack of other organelles in the sperm" made me quite suspicious.
â L.Diago
yesterday
7
@K Sai Harsha how do you know that this answer is scientifically correct let alone accept it?
â user 33690
yesterday
1
I don't know about all other organelles but mature sperm certainly lack some of them, like endoplasmic reticulum. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2736672 however it appears that has little do do with temprature sensativity, temprature appears ot be the regulator for sperm activity levels so they they can't remain dormant at highr tempratures. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29963982
â John
15 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
18
down vote
Well, the answer by @An J has already explained the prima facie of your question which is: sperms need lower temperature for development. But I will be explaining in my answer: Why do the sperms actually need a lower temperature for their development?
This is a debatable subject, but there have been several models or hypothesis about this. I found this literature on it, and it summarises the thing excellently. Hope it helps:
Throughout the Cenozoic, the fitness benefits of the scrotum in placental mammals presumably outweighed the fitness costs through damage, yet a definitive hypothesis for its evolution remains elusive. Here, I present an hypothesis (Endothermic Pulses Hypothesis) which argues that the evolution of the scrotum was driven by Cenozoic pulses in endothermy, that is, increases in normothermic body temperature...
The model argues that stabilizing selection maintained an optimum temperature for spermatogenesis and sperm storage throughout the Cenozoic at the lower plesiomorphic levels of body temperature that prevailed in ancestral mammals for at least 163 million years. Evolutionary stasis may have been driven by reduced rates of germâÂÂcell mutations at lower body temperatures...
The fitness advantages of an optimum temperature of spermatogenesis outweighed the potential costs of testes externalization and paved the way for the evolution of the scrotum. The scrotum evolved within several hundred thousand years of the KâÂÂPg extinction, probably associated initially with the evolution of cursoriality, and arguably facilitated midâ and late Cenozoic metabolic adaptations to factors such as climate, flight in bats and sociality in primates.
About the function of the scrotum from the article
The scrotum is a sacâÂÂlike thermoregulatory structure that houses the testes at a temperature lower than the core body temperature (Tb; Moore, 1926; Wislocki, 1933; Ruibal, 1957; Setchell, 1998). The cremasteric muscles in the scrotum contract and relax to draw the testes closer to or allow them to dangle further away from the body in order to maintain the testes at an âÂÂoptimalâ temperature for spermatogenesis (sensu Moore, 1926; Tsperm) and sperm storage of 34âÂÂ35 ðC (Setchell, 1998; Gallup et al., 2009; Mawyer et al., 2012). In humans, the scrotal temperature is maintained about 2.7 ðC lower than the Tb (Momen et al., 2010). Notwithstanding the relative fitness benefits of a cooled epididymis vs. the cooled testis, four nonmutually exclusive hypotheses currently dominate explanations for the evolution of the scrotum: the Cool Spermatogenesis Hypothesis (Moore, 1926), the Galloping Hypothesis (Frey, 1991), the Mutation Hypothesis (Short, 1997) and the Activation Hypothesis (Gallup et al., 2009).
Cool Spermatogenesis Hypothesis
...argued that Tsperm and the maintenance of sperm viability during storage in the epididymis is about 34âÂÂ35 Ã°C (Moore, 1926; Appell et al., 1977). Scrotal temperatures that approach those of the core Tbcompromise fertility (Moore, 1926; Bedford, 1978b, 2004; Setchell, 1998), particularly if evaporative cooling of the scrotum is impaired (Momen et al., 2010).
The Galloping Hypothesis
... (Frey, 1991)proposes a tradeâÂÂoff between testes vulnerability (fitness cost) and the avoidance of strong intraâÂÂabdominal pressure fluctuations during galloping which impair spermatogenesis in abdominal testes (fitness benefit).
The Mutation Hypothesis
... maintains that the testis is a âÂÂhot spotâ for germâÂÂcell mutations and that the lower temperatures of the scrotum reduce the rates of mutation on the Y chromosome through mutagenic metabolites (Short, 1997).
The Activation Hypothesis
... storage of sperm at a lowered temperature ensures that they undergo âÂÂthermal shockâ during ejaculation into the higher temperatures of the female, which increases their motility and hence the probability of a successful insemination (Gallup et al., 2009).
4
Finally somebody with refferences :D nice aswer :)
â L.Diago
yesterday
1
@user 33690 your answer lacks female's fertility
â K Sai Harsha
yesterday
1
Hm, I thought that last hypothesis is closer to reality. That maybe after capacitation (which occurs in warmer environment) sperm have much shorter lifespan. Or that capacitation is limited in its time. So that it was lifespan-motility-scrotum tradeoff. But who knows.
â rus9384
yesterday
1
The thing is that activation is the case only for mammals (while birds do not have it). And scrotum as well. Also, wondering if difference between scrotum and body temperature is linked with sperm competition. This definitely would add points to the last hypothesis.
â rus9384
yesterday
2
@KSaiHarsha Well... These four hypotheses are not applicable to women. Ova have quite a long lifespan; are not influenced much by the pressure; women do not have Y chromosome, so no mutations there; ova do not move really fast. I think this answer really explains the difference between male and female fertility under temperature influence.
â rus9384
yesterday
 |Â
show 2 more comments
up vote
3
down vote
To keep sperm viable in natural body conditions, they are kept at a relative lower temperature than the body temperature, and this can achieved by the scrotum. As sperm is produced in testis, and testis are situated in the scrotum outside the main part of the body, a pouch like structure. This arrangement is going to help to achieve a slightly lower temperature relative to the body temperature. Definitely, frequent hot water bath will lower the sperm count by hampering spermatogenesis as it disturbs the normal physiological conditions inside the testis by increasing temperature.
Another side, in females, the body temperature is not going to affect the oogenesis (ovum formation process). Instead of that you will see an increase in basal body temperature (about 0.5 Ã°C) during ovulation (release of ovum). That means a hot water bath isn't an issue for female fertility.
New contributor
2
Hi, its good aswer, but can you add some refferences to your claims?
â L.Diago
yesterday
add a comment |Â
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
A mature human sperm has some mitochondria, a nucleus, an acrosome, and a flagellar apparatus. That's it. Because of the lack of other organelles in the sperm, they have to be kept in a kind of 'cold storage' so that they are viable for at least some time (usually a couple of days). The ideal temperature would be 1.8 Ã°C to 2.5 Ã°C below normal body temperature, i.e. 37.6 Ã°C or 98 Ã°F. If a man takes frequent hot water baths, his sperm count becomes low as the mature sperms get dessicated quickly.
The reason that women don't require this strict temperature regulation is that the mature ovum has the complete cellular machinery at its disposal- mitochondria, nucleus, golgi bodies, ER, the works. So it can remain viable for a much longer time (about seven days after ovulation) and has higher temperature tolerance than sperms.
1
can you add please some refferencis? Specially this "Because of the lack of other organelles in the sperm" made me quite suspicious.
â L.Diago
yesterday
7
@K Sai Harsha how do you know that this answer is scientifically correct let alone accept it?
â user 33690
yesterday
1
I don't know about all other organelles but mature sperm certainly lack some of them, like endoplasmic reticulum. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2736672 however it appears that has little do do with temprature sensativity, temprature appears ot be the regulator for sperm activity levels so they they can't remain dormant at highr tempratures. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29963982
â John
15 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
A mature human sperm has some mitochondria, a nucleus, an acrosome, and a flagellar apparatus. That's it. Because of the lack of other organelles in the sperm, they have to be kept in a kind of 'cold storage' so that they are viable for at least some time (usually a couple of days). The ideal temperature would be 1.8 Ã°C to 2.5 Ã°C below normal body temperature, i.e. 37.6 Ã°C or 98 Ã°F. If a man takes frequent hot water baths, his sperm count becomes low as the mature sperms get dessicated quickly.
The reason that women don't require this strict temperature regulation is that the mature ovum has the complete cellular machinery at its disposal- mitochondria, nucleus, golgi bodies, ER, the works. So it can remain viable for a much longer time (about seven days after ovulation) and has higher temperature tolerance than sperms.
1
can you add please some refferencis? Specially this "Because of the lack of other organelles in the sperm" made me quite suspicious.
â L.Diago
yesterday
7
@K Sai Harsha how do you know that this answer is scientifically correct let alone accept it?
â user 33690
yesterday
1
I don't know about all other organelles but mature sperm certainly lack some of them, like endoplasmic reticulum. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2736672 however it appears that has little do do with temprature sensativity, temprature appears ot be the regulator for sperm activity levels so they they can't remain dormant at highr tempratures. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29963982
â John
15 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
A mature human sperm has some mitochondria, a nucleus, an acrosome, and a flagellar apparatus. That's it. Because of the lack of other organelles in the sperm, they have to be kept in a kind of 'cold storage' so that they are viable for at least some time (usually a couple of days). The ideal temperature would be 1.8 Ã°C to 2.5 Ã°C below normal body temperature, i.e. 37.6 Ã°C or 98 Ã°F. If a man takes frequent hot water baths, his sperm count becomes low as the mature sperms get dessicated quickly.
The reason that women don't require this strict temperature regulation is that the mature ovum has the complete cellular machinery at its disposal- mitochondria, nucleus, golgi bodies, ER, the works. So it can remain viable for a much longer time (about seven days after ovulation) and has higher temperature tolerance than sperms.
A mature human sperm has some mitochondria, a nucleus, an acrosome, and a flagellar apparatus. That's it. Because of the lack of other organelles in the sperm, they have to be kept in a kind of 'cold storage' so that they are viable for at least some time (usually a couple of days). The ideal temperature would be 1.8 Ã°C to 2.5 Ã°C below normal body temperature, i.e. 37.6 Ã°C or 98 Ã°F. If a man takes frequent hot water baths, his sperm count becomes low as the mature sperms get dessicated quickly.
The reason that women don't require this strict temperature regulation is that the mature ovum has the complete cellular machinery at its disposal- mitochondria, nucleus, golgi bodies, ER, the works. So it can remain viable for a much longer time (about seven days after ovulation) and has higher temperature tolerance than sperms.
edited yesterday
Peter Mortensen
1594
1594
answered yesterday
user29774
1474
1474
1
can you add please some refferencis? Specially this "Because of the lack of other organelles in the sperm" made me quite suspicious.
â L.Diago
yesterday
7
@K Sai Harsha how do you know that this answer is scientifically correct let alone accept it?
â user 33690
yesterday
1
I don't know about all other organelles but mature sperm certainly lack some of them, like endoplasmic reticulum. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2736672 however it appears that has little do do with temprature sensativity, temprature appears ot be the regulator for sperm activity levels so they they can't remain dormant at highr tempratures. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29963982
â John
15 hours ago
add a comment |Â
1
can you add please some refferencis? Specially this "Because of the lack of other organelles in the sperm" made me quite suspicious.
â L.Diago
yesterday
7
@K Sai Harsha how do you know that this answer is scientifically correct let alone accept it?
â user 33690
yesterday
1
I don't know about all other organelles but mature sperm certainly lack some of them, like endoplasmic reticulum. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2736672 however it appears that has little do do with temprature sensativity, temprature appears ot be the regulator for sperm activity levels so they they can't remain dormant at highr tempratures. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29963982
â John
15 hours ago
1
1
can you add please some refferencis? Specially this "Because of the lack of other organelles in the sperm" made me quite suspicious.
â L.Diago
yesterday
can you add please some refferencis? Specially this "Because of the lack of other organelles in the sperm" made me quite suspicious.
â L.Diago
yesterday
7
7
@K Sai Harsha how do you know that this answer is scientifically correct let alone accept it?
â user 33690
yesterday
@K Sai Harsha how do you know that this answer is scientifically correct let alone accept it?
â user 33690
yesterday
1
1
I don't know about all other organelles but mature sperm certainly lack some of them, like endoplasmic reticulum. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2736672 however it appears that has little do do with temprature sensativity, temprature appears ot be the regulator for sperm activity levels so they they can't remain dormant at highr tempratures. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29963982
â John
15 hours ago
I don't know about all other organelles but mature sperm certainly lack some of them, like endoplasmic reticulum. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2736672 however it appears that has little do do with temprature sensativity, temprature appears ot be the regulator for sperm activity levels so they they can't remain dormant at highr tempratures. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29963982
â John
15 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
18
down vote
Well, the answer by @An J has already explained the prima facie of your question which is: sperms need lower temperature for development. But I will be explaining in my answer: Why do the sperms actually need a lower temperature for their development?
This is a debatable subject, but there have been several models or hypothesis about this. I found this literature on it, and it summarises the thing excellently. Hope it helps:
Throughout the Cenozoic, the fitness benefits of the scrotum in placental mammals presumably outweighed the fitness costs through damage, yet a definitive hypothesis for its evolution remains elusive. Here, I present an hypothesis (Endothermic Pulses Hypothesis) which argues that the evolution of the scrotum was driven by Cenozoic pulses in endothermy, that is, increases in normothermic body temperature...
The model argues that stabilizing selection maintained an optimum temperature for spermatogenesis and sperm storage throughout the Cenozoic at the lower plesiomorphic levels of body temperature that prevailed in ancestral mammals for at least 163 million years. Evolutionary stasis may have been driven by reduced rates of germâÂÂcell mutations at lower body temperatures...
The fitness advantages of an optimum temperature of spermatogenesis outweighed the potential costs of testes externalization and paved the way for the evolution of the scrotum. The scrotum evolved within several hundred thousand years of the KâÂÂPg extinction, probably associated initially with the evolution of cursoriality, and arguably facilitated midâ and late Cenozoic metabolic adaptations to factors such as climate, flight in bats and sociality in primates.
About the function of the scrotum from the article
The scrotum is a sacâÂÂlike thermoregulatory structure that houses the testes at a temperature lower than the core body temperature (Tb; Moore, 1926; Wislocki, 1933; Ruibal, 1957; Setchell, 1998). The cremasteric muscles in the scrotum contract and relax to draw the testes closer to or allow them to dangle further away from the body in order to maintain the testes at an âÂÂoptimalâ temperature for spermatogenesis (sensu Moore, 1926; Tsperm) and sperm storage of 34âÂÂ35 ðC (Setchell, 1998; Gallup et al., 2009; Mawyer et al., 2012). In humans, the scrotal temperature is maintained about 2.7 ðC lower than the Tb (Momen et al., 2010). Notwithstanding the relative fitness benefits of a cooled epididymis vs. the cooled testis, four nonmutually exclusive hypotheses currently dominate explanations for the evolution of the scrotum: the Cool Spermatogenesis Hypothesis (Moore, 1926), the Galloping Hypothesis (Frey, 1991), the Mutation Hypothesis (Short, 1997) and the Activation Hypothesis (Gallup et al., 2009).
Cool Spermatogenesis Hypothesis
...argued that Tsperm and the maintenance of sperm viability during storage in the epididymis is about 34âÂÂ35 Ã°C (Moore, 1926; Appell et al., 1977). Scrotal temperatures that approach those of the core Tbcompromise fertility (Moore, 1926; Bedford, 1978b, 2004; Setchell, 1998), particularly if evaporative cooling of the scrotum is impaired (Momen et al., 2010).
The Galloping Hypothesis
... (Frey, 1991)proposes a tradeâÂÂoff between testes vulnerability (fitness cost) and the avoidance of strong intraâÂÂabdominal pressure fluctuations during galloping which impair spermatogenesis in abdominal testes (fitness benefit).
The Mutation Hypothesis
... maintains that the testis is a âÂÂhot spotâ for germâÂÂcell mutations and that the lower temperatures of the scrotum reduce the rates of mutation on the Y chromosome through mutagenic metabolites (Short, 1997).
The Activation Hypothesis
... storage of sperm at a lowered temperature ensures that they undergo âÂÂthermal shockâ during ejaculation into the higher temperatures of the female, which increases their motility and hence the probability of a successful insemination (Gallup et al., 2009).
4
Finally somebody with refferences :D nice aswer :)
â L.Diago
yesterday
1
@user 33690 your answer lacks female's fertility
â K Sai Harsha
yesterday
1
Hm, I thought that last hypothesis is closer to reality. That maybe after capacitation (which occurs in warmer environment) sperm have much shorter lifespan. Or that capacitation is limited in its time. So that it was lifespan-motility-scrotum tradeoff. But who knows.
â rus9384
yesterday
1
The thing is that activation is the case only for mammals (while birds do not have it). And scrotum as well. Also, wondering if difference between scrotum and body temperature is linked with sperm competition. This definitely would add points to the last hypothesis.
â rus9384
yesterday
2
@KSaiHarsha Well... These four hypotheses are not applicable to women. Ova have quite a long lifespan; are not influenced much by the pressure; women do not have Y chromosome, so no mutations there; ova do not move really fast. I think this answer really explains the difference between male and female fertility under temperature influence.
â rus9384
yesterday
 |Â
show 2 more comments
up vote
18
down vote
Well, the answer by @An J has already explained the prima facie of your question which is: sperms need lower temperature for development. But I will be explaining in my answer: Why do the sperms actually need a lower temperature for their development?
This is a debatable subject, but there have been several models or hypothesis about this. I found this literature on it, and it summarises the thing excellently. Hope it helps:
Throughout the Cenozoic, the fitness benefits of the scrotum in placental mammals presumably outweighed the fitness costs through damage, yet a definitive hypothesis for its evolution remains elusive. Here, I present an hypothesis (Endothermic Pulses Hypothesis) which argues that the evolution of the scrotum was driven by Cenozoic pulses in endothermy, that is, increases in normothermic body temperature...
The model argues that stabilizing selection maintained an optimum temperature for spermatogenesis and sperm storage throughout the Cenozoic at the lower plesiomorphic levels of body temperature that prevailed in ancestral mammals for at least 163 million years. Evolutionary stasis may have been driven by reduced rates of germâÂÂcell mutations at lower body temperatures...
The fitness advantages of an optimum temperature of spermatogenesis outweighed the potential costs of testes externalization and paved the way for the evolution of the scrotum. The scrotum evolved within several hundred thousand years of the KâÂÂPg extinction, probably associated initially with the evolution of cursoriality, and arguably facilitated midâ and late Cenozoic metabolic adaptations to factors such as climate, flight in bats and sociality in primates.
About the function of the scrotum from the article
The scrotum is a sacâÂÂlike thermoregulatory structure that houses the testes at a temperature lower than the core body temperature (Tb; Moore, 1926; Wislocki, 1933; Ruibal, 1957; Setchell, 1998). The cremasteric muscles in the scrotum contract and relax to draw the testes closer to or allow them to dangle further away from the body in order to maintain the testes at an âÂÂoptimalâ temperature for spermatogenesis (sensu Moore, 1926; Tsperm) and sperm storage of 34âÂÂ35 ðC (Setchell, 1998; Gallup et al., 2009; Mawyer et al., 2012). In humans, the scrotal temperature is maintained about 2.7 ðC lower than the Tb (Momen et al., 2010). Notwithstanding the relative fitness benefits of a cooled epididymis vs. the cooled testis, four nonmutually exclusive hypotheses currently dominate explanations for the evolution of the scrotum: the Cool Spermatogenesis Hypothesis (Moore, 1926), the Galloping Hypothesis (Frey, 1991), the Mutation Hypothesis (Short, 1997) and the Activation Hypothesis (Gallup et al., 2009).
Cool Spermatogenesis Hypothesis
...argued that Tsperm and the maintenance of sperm viability during storage in the epididymis is about 34âÂÂ35 Ã°C (Moore, 1926; Appell et al., 1977). Scrotal temperatures that approach those of the core Tbcompromise fertility (Moore, 1926; Bedford, 1978b, 2004; Setchell, 1998), particularly if evaporative cooling of the scrotum is impaired (Momen et al., 2010).
The Galloping Hypothesis
... (Frey, 1991)proposes a tradeâÂÂoff between testes vulnerability (fitness cost) and the avoidance of strong intraâÂÂabdominal pressure fluctuations during galloping which impair spermatogenesis in abdominal testes (fitness benefit).
The Mutation Hypothesis
... maintains that the testis is a âÂÂhot spotâ for germâÂÂcell mutations and that the lower temperatures of the scrotum reduce the rates of mutation on the Y chromosome through mutagenic metabolites (Short, 1997).
The Activation Hypothesis
... storage of sperm at a lowered temperature ensures that they undergo âÂÂthermal shockâ during ejaculation into the higher temperatures of the female, which increases their motility and hence the probability of a successful insemination (Gallup et al., 2009).
4
Finally somebody with refferences :D nice aswer :)
â L.Diago
yesterday
1
@user 33690 your answer lacks female's fertility
â K Sai Harsha
yesterday
1
Hm, I thought that last hypothesis is closer to reality. That maybe after capacitation (which occurs in warmer environment) sperm have much shorter lifespan. Or that capacitation is limited in its time. So that it was lifespan-motility-scrotum tradeoff. But who knows.
â rus9384
yesterday
1
The thing is that activation is the case only for mammals (while birds do not have it). And scrotum as well. Also, wondering if difference between scrotum and body temperature is linked with sperm competition. This definitely would add points to the last hypothesis.
â rus9384
yesterday
2
@KSaiHarsha Well... These four hypotheses are not applicable to women. Ova have quite a long lifespan; are not influenced much by the pressure; women do not have Y chromosome, so no mutations there; ova do not move really fast. I think this answer really explains the difference between male and female fertility under temperature influence.
â rus9384
yesterday
 |Â
show 2 more comments
up vote
18
down vote
up vote
18
down vote
Well, the answer by @An J has already explained the prima facie of your question which is: sperms need lower temperature for development. But I will be explaining in my answer: Why do the sperms actually need a lower temperature for their development?
This is a debatable subject, but there have been several models or hypothesis about this. I found this literature on it, and it summarises the thing excellently. Hope it helps:
Throughout the Cenozoic, the fitness benefits of the scrotum in placental mammals presumably outweighed the fitness costs through damage, yet a definitive hypothesis for its evolution remains elusive. Here, I present an hypothesis (Endothermic Pulses Hypothesis) which argues that the evolution of the scrotum was driven by Cenozoic pulses in endothermy, that is, increases in normothermic body temperature...
The model argues that stabilizing selection maintained an optimum temperature for spermatogenesis and sperm storage throughout the Cenozoic at the lower plesiomorphic levels of body temperature that prevailed in ancestral mammals for at least 163 million years. Evolutionary stasis may have been driven by reduced rates of germâÂÂcell mutations at lower body temperatures...
The fitness advantages of an optimum temperature of spermatogenesis outweighed the potential costs of testes externalization and paved the way for the evolution of the scrotum. The scrotum evolved within several hundred thousand years of the KâÂÂPg extinction, probably associated initially with the evolution of cursoriality, and arguably facilitated midâ and late Cenozoic metabolic adaptations to factors such as climate, flight in bats and sociality in primates.
About the function of the scrotum from the article
The scrotum is a sacâÂÂlike thermoregulatory structure that houses the testes at a temperature lower than the core body temperature (Tb; Moore, 1926; Wislocki, 1933; Ruibal, 1957; Setchell, 1998). The cremasteric muscles in the scrotum contract and relax to draw the testes closer to or allow them to dangle further away from the body in order to maintain the testes at an âÂÂoptimalâ temperature for spermatogenesis (sensu Moore, 1926; Tsperm) and sperm storage of 34âÂÂ35 ðC (Setchell, 1998; Gallup et al., 2009; Mawyer et al., 2012). In humans, the scrotal temperature is maintained about 2.7 ðC lower than the Tb (Momen et al., 2010). Notwithstanding the relative fitness benefits of a cooled epididymis vs. the cooled testis, four nonmutually exclusive hypotheses currently dominate explanations for the evolution of the scrotum: the Cool Spermatogenesis Hypothesis (Moore, 1926), the Galloping Hypothesis (Frey, 1991), the Mutation Hypothesis (Short, 1997) and the Activation Hypothesis (Gallup et al., 2009).
Cool Spermatogenesis Hypothesis
...argued that Tsperm and the maintenance of sperm viability during storage in the epididymis is about 34âÂÂ35 Ã°C (Moore, 1926; Appell et al., 1977). Scrotal temperatures that approach those of the core Tbcompromise fertility (Moore, 1926; Bedford, 1978b, 2004; Setchell, 1998), particularly if evaporative cooling of the scrotum is impaired (Momen et al., 2010).
The Galloping Hypothesis
... (Frey, 1991)proposes a tradeâÂÂoff between testes vulnerability (fitness cost) and the avoidance of strong intraâÂÂabdominal pressure fluctuations during galloping which impair spermatogenesis in abdominal testes (fitness benefit).
The Mutation Hypothesis
... maintains that the testis is a âÂÂhot spotâ for germâÂÂcell mutations and that the lower temperatures of the scrotum reduce the rates of mutation on the Y chromosome through mutagenic metabolites (Short, 1997).
The Activation Hypothesis
... storage of sperm at a lowered temperature ensures that they undergo âÂÂthermal shockâ during ejaculation into the higher temperatures of the female, which increases their motility and hence the probability of a successful insemination (Gallup et al., 2009).
Well, the answer by @An J has already explained the prima facie of your question which is: sperms need lower temperature for development. But I will be explaining in my answer: Why do the sperms actually need a lower temperature for their development?
This is a debatable subject, but there have been several models or hypothesis about this. I found this literature on it, and it summarises the thing excellently. Hope it helps:
Throughout the Cenozoic, the fitness benefits of the scrotum in placental mammals presumably outweighed the fitness costs through damage, yet a definitive hypothesis for its evolution remains elusive. Here, I present an hypothesis (Endothermic Pulses Hypothesis) which argues that the evolution of the scrotum was driven by Cenozoic pulses in endothermy, that is, increases in normothermic body temperature...
The model argues that stabilizing selection maintained an optimum temperature for spermatogenesis and sperm storage throughout the Cenozoic at the lower plesiomorphic levels of body temperature that prevailed in ancestral mammals for at least 163 million years. Evolutionary stasis may have been driven by reduced rates of germâÂÂcell mutations at lower body temperatures...
The fitness advantages of an optimum temperature of spermatogenesis outweighed the potential costs of testes externalization and paved the way for the evolution of the scrotum. The scrotum evolved within several hundred thousand years of the KâÂÂPg extinction, probably associated initially with the evolution of cursoriality, and arguably facilitated midâ and late Cenozoic metabolic adaptations to factors such as climate, flight in bats and sociality in primates.
About the function of the scrotum from the article
The scrotum is a sacâÂÂlike thermoregulatory structure that houses the testes at a temperature lower than the core body temperature (Tb; Moore, 1926; Wislocki, 1933; Ruibal, 1957; Setchell, 1998). The cremasteric muscles in the scrotum contract and relax to draw the testes closer to or allow them to dangle further away from the body in order to maintain the testes at an âÂÂoptimalâ temperature for spermatogenesis (sensu Moore, 1926; Tsperm) and sperm storage of 34âÂÂ35 ðC (Setchell, 1998; Gallup et al., 2009; Mawyer et al., 2012). In humans, the scrotal temperature is maintained about 2.7 ðC lower than the Tb (Momen et al., 2010). Notwithstanding the relative fitness benefits of a cooled epididymis vs. the cooled testis, four nonmutually exclusive hypotheses currently dominate explanations for the evolution of the scrotum: the Cool Spermatogenesis Hypothesis (Moore, 1926), the Galloping Hypothesis (Frey, 1991), the Mutation Hypothesis (Short, 1997) and the Activation Hypothesis (Gallup et al., 2009).
Cool Spermatogenesis Hypothesis
...argued that Tsperm and the maintenance of sperm viability during storage in the epididymis is about 34âÂÂ35 Ã°C (Moore, 1926; Appell et al., 1977). Scrotal temperatures that approach those of the core Tbcompromise fertility (Moore, 1926; Bedford, 1978b, 2004; Setchell, 1998), particularly if evaporative cooling of the scrotum is impaired (Momen et al., 2010).
The Galloping Hypothesis
... (Frey, 1991)proposes a tradeâÂÂoff between testes vulnerability (fitness cost) and the avoidance of strong intraâÂÂabdominal pressure fluctuations during galloping which impair spermatogenesis in abdominal testes (fitness benefit).
The Mutation Hypothesis
... maintains that the testis is a âÂÂhot spotâ for germâÂÂcell mutations and that the lower temperatures of the scrotum reduce the rates of mutation on the Y chromosome through mutagenic metabolites (Short, 1997).
The Activation Hypothesis
... storage of sperm at a lowered temperature ensures that they undergo âÂÂthermal shockâ during ejaculation into the higher temperatures of the female, which increases their motility and hence the probability of a successful insemination (Gallup et al., 2009).
edited yesterday
Peter Mortensen
1594
1594
answered yesterday
user 33690
1,584419
1,584419
4
Finally somebody with refferences :D nice aswer :)
â L.Diago
yesterday
1
@user 33690 your answer lacks female's fertility
â K Sai Harsha
yesterday
1
Hm, I thought that last hypothesis is closer to reality. That maybe after capacitation (which occurs in warmer environment) sperm have much shorter lifespan. Or that capacitation is limited in its time. So that it was lifespan-motility-scrotum tradeoff. But who knows.
â rus9384
yesterday
1
The thing is that activation is the case only for mammals (while birds do not have it). And scrotum as well. Also, wondering if difference between scrotum and body temperature is linked with sperm competition. This definitely would add points to the last hypothesis.
â rus9384
yesterday
2
@KSaiHarsha Well... These four hypotheses are not applicable to women. Ova have quite a long lifespan; are not influenced much by the pressure; women do not have Y chromosome, so no mutations there; ova do not move really fast. I think this answer really explains the difference between male and female fertility under temperature influence.
â rus9384
yesterday
 |Â
show 2 more comments
4
Finally somebody with refferences :D nice aswer :)
â L.Diago
yesterday
1
@user 33690 your answer lacks female's fertility
â K Sai Harsha
yesterday
1
Hm, I thought that last hypothesis is closer to reality. That maybe after capacitation (which occurs in warmer environment) sperm have much shorter lifespan. Or that capacitation is limited in its time. So that it was lifespan-motility-scrotum tradeoff. But who knows.
â rus9384
yesterday
1
The thing is that activation is the case only for mammals (while birds do not have it). And scrotum as well. Also, wondering if difference between scrotum and body temperature is linked with sperm competition. This definitely would add points to the last hypothesis.
â rus9384
yesterday
2
@KSaiHarsha Well... These four hypotheses are not applicable to women. Ova have quite a long lifespan; are not influenced much by the pressure; women do not have Y chromosome, so no mutations there; ova do not move really fast. I think this answer really explains the difference between male and female fertility under temperature influence.
â rus9384
yesterday
4
4
Finally somebody with refferences :D nice aswer :)
â L.Diago
yesterday
Finally somebody with refferences :D nice aswer :)
â L.Diago
yesterday
1
1
@user 33690 your answer lacks female's fertility
â K Sai Harsha
yesterday
@user 33690 your answer lacks female's fertility
â K Sai Harsha
yesterday
1
1
Hm, I thought that last hypothesis is closer to reality. That maybe after capacitation (which occurs in warmer environment) sperm have much shorter lifespan. Or that capacitation is limited in its time. So that it was lifespan-motility-scrotum tradeoff. But who knows.
â rus9384
yesterday
Hm, I thought that last hypothesis is closer to reality. That maybe after capacitation (which occurs in warmer environment) sperm have much shorter lifespan. Or that capacitation is limited in its time. So that it was lifespan-motility-scrotum tradeoff. But who knows.
â rus9384
yesterday
1
1
The thing is that activation is the case only for mammals (while birds do not have it). And scrotum as well. Also, wondering if difference between scrotum and body temperature is linked with sperm competition. This definitely would add points to the last hypothesis.
â rus9384
yesterday
The thing is that activation is the case only for mammals (while birds do not have it). And scrotum as well. Also, wondering if difference between scrotum and body temperature is linked with sperm competition. This definitely would add points to the last hypothesis.
â rus9384
yesterday
2
2
@KSaiHarsha Well... These four hypotheses are not applicable to women. Ova have quite a long lifespan; are not influenced much by the pressure; women do not have Y chromosome, so no mutations there; ova do not move really fast. I think this answer really explains the difference between male and female fertility under temperature influence.
â rus9384
yesterday
@KSaiHarsha Well... These four hypotheses are not applicable to women. Ova have quite a long lifespan; are not influenced much by the pressure; women do not have Y chromosome, so no mutations there; ova do not move really fast. I think this answer really explains the difference between male and female fertility under temperature influence.
â rus9384
yesterday
 |Â
show 2 more comments
up vote
3
down vote
To keep sperm viable in natural body conditions, they are kept at a relative lower temperature than the body temperature, and this can achieved by the scrotum. As sperm is produced in testis, and testis are situated in the scrotum outside the main part of the body, a pouch like structure. This arrangement is going to help to achieve a slightly lower temperature relative to the body temperature. Definitely, frequent hot water bath will lower the sperm count by hampering spermatogenesis as it disturbs the normal physiological conditions inside the testis by increasing temperature.
Another side, in females, the body temperature is not going to affect the oogenesis (ovum formation process). Instead of that you will see an increase in basal body temperature (about 0.5 Ã°C) during ovulation (release of ovum). That means a hot water bath isn't an issue for female fertility.
New contributor
2
Hi, its good aswer, but can you add some refferences to your claims?
â L.Diago
yesterday
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
To keep sperm viable in natural body conditions, they are kept at a relative lower temperature than the body temperature, and this can achieved by the scrotum. As sperm is produced in testis, and testis are situated in the scrotum outside the main part of the body, a pouch like structure. This arrangement is going to help to achieve a slightly lower temperature relative to the body temperature. Definitely, frequent hot water bath will lower the sperm count by hampering spermatogenesis as it disturbs the normal physiological conditions inside the testis by increasing temperature.
Another side, in females, the body temperature is not going to affect the oogenesis (ovum formation process). Instead of that you will see an increase in basal body temperature (about 0.5 Ã°C) during ovulation (release of ovum). That means a hot water bath isn't an issue for female fertility.
New contributor
2
Hi, its good aswer, but can you add some refferences to your claims?
â L.Diago
yesterday
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
To keep sperm viable in natural body conditions, they are kept at a relative lower temperature than the body temperature, and this can achieved by the scrotum. As sperm is produced in testis, and testis are situated in the scrotum outside the main part of the body, a pouch like structure. This arrangement is going to help to achieve a slightly lower temperature relative to the body temperature. Definitely, frequent hot water bath will lower the sperm count by hampering spermatogenesis as it disturbs the normal physiological conditions inside the testis by increasing temperature.
Another side, in females, the body temperature is not going to affect the oogenesis (ovum formation process). Instead of that you will see an increase in basal body temperature (about 0.5 Ã°C) during ovulation (release of ovum). That means a hot water bath isn't an issue for female fertility.
New contributor
To keep sperm viable in natural body conditions, they are kept at a relative lower temperature than the body temperature, and this can achieved by the scrotum. As sperm is produced in testis, and testis are situated in the scrotum outside the main part of the body, a pouch like structure. This arrangement is going to help to achieve a slightly lower temperature relative to the body temperature. Definitely, frequent hot water bath will lower the sperm count by hampering spermatogenesis as it disturbs the normal physiological conditions inside the testis by increasing temperature.
Another side, in females, the body temperature is not going to affect the oogenesis (ovum formation process). Instead of that you will see an increase in basal body temperature (about 0.5 Ã°C) during ovulation (release of ovum). That means a hot water bath isn't an issue for female fertility.
New contributor
edited 14 hours ago
New contributor
answered yesterday
An J
312
312
New contributor
New contributor
2
Hi, its good aswer, but can you add some refferences to your claims?
â L.Diago
yesterday
add a comment |Â
2
Hi, its good aswer, but can you add some refferences to your claims?
â L.Diago
yesterday
2
2
Hi, its good aswer, but can you add some refferences to your claims?
â L.Diago
yesterday
Hi, its good aswer, but can you add some refferences to your claims?
â L.Diago
yesterday
add a comment |Â
K Sai Harsha is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
K Sai Harsha is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
K Sai Harsha is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
K Sai Harsha is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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@PeterMortensen By two tags, ignoring the question?
â rus9384
yesterday
1
@PeterMortensen Posting xkcd links is fun but they should be actually relevant. A comic about memes popular in 2009 doesn't become relevant to a question about male fertility just because both involve pregnancy somehow.
â user568458
yesterday
2
For what it's worth, the article is making unsubstantiated scare claims that, as far as I know, have no basis in research. Temperature affects sperm production and viability but is not believed to have any adverse long-term effects on the body. There is (unfortunately limited in number of studies and sample size) research on contraceptive use, credited to Dr. Marthe Voegeli.
â R..
yesterday
I dont know if baths last long enough to really reduce sperm count, but wearing synthetic underwear can elevate scrotum temperature enough to be used as a contraceptive. The effect is also reversible. Ahmed Shafik won the 2016 igNobel prize for reproduction for this research. Unfortunately, the study had a small sample size. Anyone care to reproduce (the study, not yourselves, obviously)?
â Ivana
18 hours ago
1
@Ivana: Unless you like really, unpleasantly hot baths, I seriously doubt it's going to have any effect. It seems you need sustained temperatures above 37°C, which requires either really good insulation, ongoing heating or replacement of the water, or initial temperatures that would likely be scalding.
â R..
13 hours ago