Redefining the term blue balls

Hello everyone,

Happy Friday! Today, I want to talk about scrotal temperature. But before we dive in, a quick disclaimer that this email may contain inappropriate jokes… but stick with us, we’ll answer a lot of questions for you.

Here at Béa HQ, we recently noticed a remarkable uptick in the number of folks talking to us about testicular health, notably, scrotal cooling. What on earth is that I hear you asking? Does cooling one’s testicles really improve sperm quality? Is it time to reclaim and redefine the term ‘blue balls’ in fertility?

The answer is… maybe.

There is *some* data out there on this topic, but not much. Apparently, the lack of data is mostly due to men’s hesitation to participate in scrotal-themed studies, which is a ball ache for us as we try to debunk what is myth from what is science. However, we’ve done a deep dive on what little data there is out there so you don’t have to. Here we go👇

🌡️ Does temperature affect sperm quality? Yes.

There is clear evidence that higher temperatures negatively affect sperm quality. Data from 365 males indicates that sperm motility is significantly reduced if males work or sleep in warm environments, sit for 6+ hours per day, or wear tight-fitting underwear. The scrotum hangs outside the body to keep sperm 2-6 °C below the core body temperature. An increase in body temperature can lead to impaired sperm maturation and subsequent abnormalities in morphology. A very small study that heated (😲) testicles showed a dramatic – but reversible – impact on sperm quality. Unsurprisingly, voluntary enrollment was low for that study, so the data set is too small to draw concrete conclusions.

🥵 Are our balls actually getting warmer? Jury’s out, but probably, yes.

Some researchers point to global warming as a reason for warmer balls, and poorer sperm. Heat stress does affect reproductive function in mammals. There isn’t yet established causality between global warming and global sperm quality, however. A more likely cause of our toasty testicles is lifestyle factors – tight underwear and jeans that hold the scrotum closer to the body, sitting for 6+ hours at a desk, etc.

🧊 Does scrotal cooling improve sperm? Probably not.

There isn’t enough data, because patients are ‘not compliant’ with the recommended use of a scrotal cooling device due to ‘comfort, convenience and concealability’. It turns out that most men don’t fancy walking around with an ice pack strapped to their nether regions. Fair. And before we can conclude whether scrotal cooling devices improve sperm quality, we need to design better ones that men will actually wear. There is, however, some data to suggest that scrotal cooling can treat chronic conditions such as a varicocele, or chronic scrotal pain.

❓ What does help sperm health? Quite a lot.

New sperm cells are created every 74 days, so lifestyle changes (diet, exercise) on the male side can have a material – and quick – impact on sperm health. We wrote a quick ‘Sperm Health Guide’ about sperm, male factor infertility and Bea so you have the cold, hard truth (it’s just not getting old is it). Download it 👉 here

And there we have it! Scrotal cooling is… not a silver bullet for fertility (nothing is, by the way). And probably not worth going deeper into other than making sure your briefs are a little more breezy. Got a good pun we missed? Hit reply. I’m on a roll.

Stay cool this weekend,

Tess-ticle

Co-Founder & CEO