Heated Car Seats May Affect Fertility
A preliminary study suggests that heated seats are a luxury in some cars, but they may be a little too hot for men.
Around 90 minutes on a heated car seat created a significant increase in men’s scrotal temperature, researchers observed. Because heat stress on the testicles has been shown to impair sperm quality, the findings raise the possibility that over time, heated car seats could affect a man’s fertility.
However, Dr. Andreas Jung, of Justus Liebig University Giessen in Germany stressed that the study looked only at short-term changes in scrotal temperature, and not the effects on sperm.
"It is too early to (make) any conclusions concerning the influence of heating car seats on semen quality," Jung said.
The researchers explain in the journal Fertility and Sterility that normal sperm production is temperature-dependent and requires a testicular temperature that is slightly below the body’s core temperature.
Jung’s team found that in tests of 30 male volunteers, on average, 90 minutes on a heated car seat raised the men’s scrotal temperature enough to nearly match their core body temperature.
According to the researchers, a man’s scrotal temperature raised on its own when sitting for prolonged periods, and the effect of a heated car seat is actually weaker by comparison. However, they add, even a small additional effect on scrotal temperature might be enough to affect a man’s sperm quality.
Studies should now directly examine sperm quality to see if there is, in fact, a risk from heated car seats, Jung said.
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