Does sitting in a hot saddle affect sperm?

There are many causes that affect the quality of men’s sperm such as stress and prolonged stress, smoking, exposure to chemicals, frequent exposure to high temperatures, sexually transmitted diseases, or HPV infection… Sitting on a hot motorbike seat is also a factor that studies have proven to affect sperm quality. The reason is, the optimal temperature of the testicles needs to be 2-4 degrees Celsius lower than the body temperature. Each 1 degree Celsius increase in testicle temperature leads to a 14% decrease in spermatogenesis.

The skin in the scrotum is thin, has many sweat glands and has a contraction mechanism that lifts and lowers the scrotum. As the surrounding temperature increases, the scrotum descends away from the heat center to avoid damage to spermatogenesis. Therefore, sitting on a hot motorbike seat will lead to increased temperature in the perineum and scrotal skin, negatively affecting testicular health. If this happens frequently and continuously throughout the day, it will increase the risk of reducing sperm quality, easily causing infertility.

To not affect your reproductive health, you should limit sitting on a hot motorbike seat, you need a saddle pad, it is best to leave the bike in the shade, or use a tarpaulin. You also need to avoid wearing tight pants or non-absorbent materials.

Besides, you also need to avoid drinking alcohol, smoking, stressful work and prevent sexually related diseases such as genital warts, gonorrhea, syphilis…

Among the above causes, diseases caused by the HPV virus such as genital warts, nasopharyngeal cancer, anal cancer… are easily transmitted through sexual contact and skin-to-skin contact. According to studies, HPV can affect the quality of sperm, causing sperm to move weakly, reduce quality, or transmit the virus to the egg and cause miscarriage. Genital warts can also block the vas deferens and urethra, deform the penis, and prevent sperm from reaching the egg.

There are currently two types of HPV vaccines, with protection effectiveness of over 90%. Gardasil vaccine is for women from 9 to 26 years old, preventing 4 types of HPV including: 6, 11, 16 and 18. Children from 9 to under 14 years old get two shots, 6-12 months apart, from 14 to 26 years old get three shots.

Gardasil 9 vaccine is for both men and women from 9-45 years old, helping to prevent 9 types: 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58. Children from 9 to under 15 years old get two shots, 6-12 months apart, from 15 to 45 years old get three shots within 6 months.

If you are male and 30 years old, you are in the Gardasil 9 vaccine group, with a schedule of three injections within 6 months.

Dr. Nguyen Cong Luan
Medical Management, VNVC Vaccination System