Table 2 Effects of increase in scrotal temperature through high elevation of whole body or scrotal temperature on sperm number in men
Authors | Heating | Nb a | Effect on sperm number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Method | Daily duration | Frequency | During heating | After heating | ||||
Period w b | Mean value | Start w | Max. value | |||||
High elevation of whole body temperature | ||||||||
MacLeod & Hotchkiss 1941 [79] | Steam cubicle at 43 °C | 45 min OAT c 41 °C | Once | 6 | w 3–9 | 50% d | w 11 | 130% e w 15 |
Procope 1965 [84] | Sauna 77–90 °C | 15 min RAT f +1 °C | 8 times in 2 weeks | 12 | w 3–6 | 60% | w 8 | NDA g |
Brown-Woodman et al. 1984 [85] | Sauna 84 °C | 20 min RAT +0.7 °C | Once | 5 | w 1–4 | 75% | w 8 | NDA |
High-intensity scrotal heating | ||||||||
Watanabe 1959 [80] | Scrota in water bath at 44–46 °C | 30 min | 1 day | 5 | w 5–10 | 70% | w 11 | 158% e w 15 |
2 days | 4 | w 2–10 | 45% | w 13 | NR h | |||
3 days | 6 | w 3–10 | 41% | w 11 | NR | |||
6 days | 3 | w 3–11 | 47% | w 12 | 190% e w 14 | |||
12 days | 5 | w 5–12 | 42% | w 13 | 300% e w 16 | |||
Every 2 days for 12 days | 4 | w 5–11 | 56% | w 9 | 240% e w 16 | |||
Rock & Robinson 1965 [82] | 150 watt lamp at 8 cm; 42 °C | 30 min | 14 days | 4 | w 4–8 | 63% | w 9 | 177% e w 14 |
28 days | 3 | w 3–9 | 57% | NDA | NDA | |||
Scrota in water bath at 43 °C | 30 min | 6 days | 18 | w 3 w 6 | (SC) i 56% j 26% | w 9 w 12 | (SC) 44% j 109% | |
Rao et al. 2015 [88] | Lower half body in bathtub at 43 °C | 30 min | Every day for 10 days | 10 | w 4 <5 M/ml 4/10 w 6 | (SC) 52% 30% | w8 | (SC) w14 106% |
Every 3Â days for 30Â days | 10 | w 6 <5Â M/ml 4/10 w 8 | 28% 12% | w10 | w16 102% | |||