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Sperm counts worldwide are plummeting faster than we thought

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Re: Sperm counts worldwide are plummeting faster than we thought

#381
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocrine_disruptor#Routes_of_...

Just read this section and you'll immediately realize how depressingly grave this situation is. We're living in a world that is so massively synthetic that it's basically impossible to avoid these endocrine disruptors.

They're in your floors. They're in your shower curtains. They in your food. They're in your sunscreen. They're in the literal dust that floats in your house.

What can you do?

Re: Sperm counts worldwide are plummeting faster than we thought

#382

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have enough investments and fiat to not be the poor sucker who can’t pay for help end of life as the young, productive cohort compresses.

Outcomes aren't great for old folks who go into homes without having someone on the outside looking out for them. I don't know if you've seen the recent stories but a little cognitive issues and you'll be signing away everything you've earned to the home itself or one of it's employees. It's quite common.

Why would I care what happens when my IQ degrades to one below room temperature?

Similarly, if I go into vegetative state I hope someone will use my organs for some good cause, not try to keep me alive by any way possible.

Re: Sperm counts worldwide are plummeting faster than we thought

#383

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regarding tea bags, sometimes I see plastic tea bags which are crazy, as they must have a weak structure/large surface and the hot water surely washes out a lot of plastic. I am assuming the normal paper tea bags I get in Germany with a metal clip should be plastic free though, or am I missing something? Yes we are down to discussing tea bag brands now but as you are saying, it's an emergency :-(

What consumers think of as normal "paper" tea bags release 11.6 billion “microplastics” and 3.1 billion “nanoplastics” into each cup. It's not paper.

which tea bags don't do this?

Re: Sperm counts worldwide are plummeting faster than we thought

#384
post #156

My wife and I have a beautiful daughter about to turn 2. But she wouldn't have existed if it weren't for IVF (in vitro fertilization). Had to stab her stomach with needles for a while to make hormones to mass produce eggs and then they took my sperm to put into her eggs and see which ones took. Five viable pairings happened. Three were put into her and out came the one kid. Other two are in cryo for future use, and h…

Another lesson from your story (similar to many of my friends’) is to just have kids younger. It sounds like you started at around 35 — if people started at 30, even, fertility is higher.

I started at 24 - certainly regret nothing, but I also can't say it was the smoothest path :D Trying to provide and care while being new to the job market was quite a ride.

There's been some changes to make having kids less of a challenge in recent years - at least in Europe. But it still seems like there's a long way to go, especially in terms of corporate cultures that, in my experience, don't really know what to do with young parents.

Re: Sperm counts worldwide are plummeting faster than we thought

#385
post #156

My wife and I have a beautiful daughter about to turn 2. But she wouldn't have existed if it weren't for IVF (in vitro fertilization). Had to stab her stomach with needles for a while to make hormones to mass produce eggs and then they took my sperm to put into her eggs and see which ones took. Five viable pairings happened. Three were put into her and out came the one kid. Other two are in cryo for future use, and h…

Another lesson from your story (similar to many of my friends’) is to just have kids younger. It sounds like you started at around 35 — if people started at 30, even, fertility is higher.

Having kids younger is not a simple choice. My wife was already 35 when we met, we couldn't have started younger.

Re: Sperm counts worldwide are plummeting faster than we thought

#386
post #264

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're right, it's not true. It's more like a decade's salary. Full IVF generally ranges from $10-15k USD. Median worldwide income is about $900 USD.

This is a curious observation which spawns so many new questions in my mind. What is the cost of living in the places of the world where $900 USD is average income of its populace. From which I would ask: in those parts of the world, where does and income of $900 USD put someone in terms of poverty or prosperity. What is their social mobility? Then I would ask: do the people living in these parts of the world feel th…

People in countries with very low incomes tend to have more children. One reason is that children can start helping out the family very young and be working to contribute by their teenage years. Another goal is to gain retirement security. If you have 8 children you’ll have someone to take care of you in old age.

Re: Sperm counts worldwide are plummeting faster than we thought

#388

The thesis of the book 'Countdown' is that this is largely due to widespread plastic and other endocrine disrupting chemicals. I believe this is one of the most important risks to humanity, after climate change, and global war. So far, I've taken some lifestyle changes to combat this: 1) Threw out all of my teflon cooking pans 2) Refuse to consume food in heated plastics 3) Throw out teabags (they have plastics). Use…

Not all teabags are that "fancy" plastic-y webbing. Cheaper teas have traditional paper filters.

Re: Sperm counts worldwide are plummeting faster than we thought

#389
post #156

My wife and I have a beautiful daughter about to turn 2. But she wouldn't have existed if it weren't for IVF (in vitro fertilization). Had to stab her stomach with needles for a while to make hormones to mass produce eggs and then they took my sperm to put into her eggs and see which ones took. Five viable pairings happened. Three were put into her and out came the one kid. Other two are in cryo for future use, and h…

Another lesson from your story (similar to many of my friends’) is to just have kids younger. It sounds like you started at around 35 — if people started at 30, even, fertility is higher.

Yep, I can confirm this based on personal experience with a gynecologist telling my wife that at 35 the pregnancy is considered a "geriatric pregnancy" (apparently some docs now call it "AMA"...advanced maternal age).

This shocked both of us, frankly. We were aware of what the actuarial tables will tell you regarding birth defect rates related to maternal age, but hearing the term geriatric in your mid-thirties is quite shocking. I'm ignorant of any data around paternal age and sperm count (assume it goes down...no idea the rate), but the docs do tend to focus on maternal age quite a bit regarding possible defects and fertility.

Nonetheless we were able to conceive in our late 30s without help or any trouble. Our baby is super healthy. Apparently we lucked out.

Re: Sperm counts worldwide are plummeting faster than we thought

#390

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Accept for most in the world IVF is a years salary.

And don't forget, if the IVF works, the costs of the kids will make that look paltry. Source: Have 3 kids

People used to have kids as a source of free labor, not as a money sink. I wonder if it’s still the case in many places.
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