Open AccessHas fertility declined in recent decades?
Author(s) -
OLSEN JØRN,
ZHU JIN LIANG,
RAMLAUHANSEN CECILIA H.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0412.2010.01005.x
Subject(s) - fecundity , fertility , infertility , semen quality , medicine , demography , semen , gynecology , population , environmental health , biology , pregnancy , andrology , sociology , genetics
Objective. Increasing use of infertility treatment and a decline in demographic fertility in some countries have raised concern whether human fecundity is declining or has declined over time. A dramatic decline in semen quality over the past half‐century has been proposed and widely discussed, but none of the existing studies provide data good enough for coming to any firm conclusion. Results. Results from 19 articles published during the last 5 years on semen quality and fecundity, covering data from the Nordic countries since the year 2000, do not indicate an ongoing decline in fertility. Conclusion. We will probably never know, whether semen quality and fecundity has declined over time, but we may be able to monitor biological fecundity and semen quality over time from now on. There are both research initiatives and interest from official channels that could provide more funding for infertility research.