Israeli study shows sperm counts decline under stress

An Israeli study conducted on Israeli men during and immediately after two wars between Israel and Gaza has proven that feelings of prolonged stress can reduce sperm quality in potential fathers.

The study, conducted by the Ben-Gurion University Faculty of Health Sciences and the Soroka University Medical Center, was presented last month at the Annual Israel Fertility Association Conference in Tel Aviv.

Researchers found that sperm moved slower in 37 percent of the 659 samples taken from men during war in Gaza in 2012 and 2014, and up to two months after.

The average age of the donor was 32 years old.