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

Image caption, Simon, 28, performs a multi-step routine in a bid to protect his fertilityByJacqui WakefieldGlobal health reporterPublished1 hour agoEvery morning, Simon starts his day in a sauna, with an ice pack strapped to his groin."I place it on the testicles in order to preserve high sperm count," he says.He believes the heat helps him sweat out toxins, improving his sperm function - but says he must take care to protect his testicles from the excessive heat.

The 28-year-old from Miami gets daily sunlight exposure, exercises regularly, only drinks filtered water and wears cotton boxer shorts - all part of a fertility-focused health regime which he follows despite any medical evidence to prove it works. There is an element of truth behind these claims - environmental pollutants and heating the testes can impact sperm quality.But it's unlikely these steps Simon takes will make a massive difference to his fertility, although exercising will improve general health.

He is part of a growing number of men paying close attention to their fertility. On TikTok and Instagram, hashtags such as #malefertility, #semenanalysis and #sperm attract hundreds of millions of views, while online communities dedicated to improving sperm health have grown rapidly.Simon is not planning to have children any time soon and doesn't have a partner - he is more concerned with whether a low sperm count could affect his health.

He worries if he has low fertility it could affect something called the endocrine system, a network of glands and organs in charge of releasing hormones in the body.But there isn't evidence this is the case.A low sperm count won't trigger endocrine problems, although they may happen together in some people.'

I choose to protect my fertility'Male fertility experts around the world say they have seen an increase in the number of men requesting semen analysis and expressing concerns about their future fertility.The experts believe this is partly due to concerns about the impact of testosterone replacement therapies (TRT), steroids and certain environmental toxins all of which can adversely impact hormones responsible for sperm count.UK-based fertility expert Prof Suks Minhas says that there are pros and cons to the increased discussion around declining sperm and male fertility.

"It is important to raise the profile of male infertility. But are we fuelling that worry unnecessarily?"Meanwhile, an industry of influencers and products are emerging in response, capitalising on this anxiety, he adds.

Like many others, Simon first became interested in fertility through social media, where influencers speaking about declining sperm counts sparked his concern. Yet he has never had a semen analysis and has no specific reason to think he has a fertility problem."It's something that I'm generally scared of, so I choose to protect my fertility," he says.

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Ex-Silicon Valley billionaire Bryan Johnson claims he has four times the average sperm countIt was content from influencer Bryan Johnson that led to Simon "really caring" about his fertility.Johnson, an ex-Silicon Valley billionaire, gained fame for wanting to live forever. He has been self-experimenting using controversial methods in an attempt to extend his lifespan for the last five years.

He claims he has four times the average sperm count according to five lab tests over the space of three months.He promotes the unproven sauna and ice pack protocols to increase testosterone and sperm count, which Simon follows.Johnson's content - followed by more than six million people - drives his followers back to his website, Blueprint, where he sells supplements.

He is far from the only voice. Other protocols promoted by influencers without medical evidence have included certain supplements, red light therapy, and donating blood to "filter out" microplastics.Declining birth ratesThis kind of influencer content comes in the wake of wider discussions about declining birth rates.

Globally, birth rates have dropped from 4.9 babies per woman in 1950 to 2.2 in 2025, with 106 countries now below the replacement rate of 2.

1, external, according to the UN World Population Prospects in 2025.The US Secretary for Health, Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has promoted some unproven health claims, recently spoke of a "fertility crisis", arguing that in 1970, "men had twice the sperm count as our teenagers do today".Large-scale analyses have suggested a significant global drop in sperm count, external and quality since the 1970s, but it isn't easy to make a direct comparison between young men today and the older men in the 1970s, age was not a focus of the study.

Overall, there is consensus that sperm count and quality is in decline, but some data suggests the decline may not be as drastic as feared.According to a 2023 meta-review of falling sperm counts, external, the area is under-researched with the causes of sperm count decline and the impacts on birth rates remaining unc