sperm count of a normal adult in india has plunged to onethird of what it was three decades ago stressful lifestyles bad habits hormones and even frequency of intercourse an affect male fertility say experts read on to find out more a fall in the sperm count in the reproductive years is now a serious global problem and unfortunately the crisis is equally acute in india according to specialists the sperm count of a normal adult in india has plunged to around 20 million per ml onethird of what it was three decades ago dr duru shah consultant obstetrician gynecologist and an infertility specialist says male infertility may be to blame for up to 40 per cent of the cases where a couple is unable to conceive nearly one in five healthy men between 18 and 25 have an abnormal sperm count dr firuza r parikh head of assisted reproduction and genetics says the detrimental effects on sperm production and quality go beyond ones current lifestyle in fact it is transgenerational that means what our parents did or did not do will affect our fertility potential for example if a woman has smoked heavily throughout her pregnancy there is a possibility that her son will be born with less testicular cells will produce less sperm in his lifetime may have a higher chance of getting testicular cancer and also have a higher chance of having undescended testeshere are a few factors that cause infertility in menlifestyle dr sandeep mane consultant in reproductive medicine and surgery says the main reason for this problem is the current lifestyle of late marriages psychological issues physical exhaustion habits such as smoking alcohol and drugs infections the focus of mens lives these days has shifted to achieving professional excellence they work long hours sleep patterns are disturbed and dietary irregularities are high physical exhaustion and fatigue leads to decreased libido and inability to physical perform the act dr rajesh parikh neuropsychiatrist who counsels infertile patients has shown time and again the effects of stress on sperm counts couples who have been counseled by him to take a holiday while awaiting ivf treatment have conceived on their own despite low sperm countsbad habits smoking drinking and doing drugs have adverse effects on fertility they affect the hormonal balance that is necessary for the sperm production mainly the sperm concentration and the motility is affected smoking is a risk factor as it impairs sperm count and motility reduces sperm lifespan and may also cause genetic changes that affect the offspring similarly alcohol lowers the production of sperm and of the male hormone testosteronehormones stress anxiety and depression and the medications taken to treat these conditions adversely affect the sperm production process sperm production is a neurohormonal process controlled by the braindiseases diabetes can lead to decreased libido erectile dysfunction and decreased sperm concentration and motility tuberculosis can also affect male fertilityfrequency of intercourse erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation are common problems frequency of intercourse also plays a