Is Lube Hurting Your Sperm?

KY may K.O. your sperm. Motility—one measure of sperm quality that has to do with your swimmers’ ability to find and fertilize your partner’s egg—is significantly hampered by sex lubricants, according to a new study from the State University of New York Upstate Medical University. 

From Astroglide to KY, most of the lubricants tested decreased sperm quality by 20 percent or more within 30 minutes. One variety of KY—the “Tingling” type—lowered sperm motility by more than 75 percent, the study shows. The good news: None of the sperm-slowing effects of lubricants persist if you stop using them, the research shows. 

While decreased motility doesn’t guarantee you won’t get your partner pregnant, when you drop below 50 percent motility, you’re going to have a tough time, explains Lauren Streicher, M.D., a gynecologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and author of the upcoming Love Sex Again, which devotes an entire chapter to lubricants. So if you are trying to conceive, stick with brands like Pre-Seed, which only lowered motility by about 1 percent in the study—an "insignificant" amount, says Dr. Streicher. 
 

And if you're not looking to make babies, know that Astroglide won’t replace condoms anytime soon. While lubes hurt sperm motility, “all it takes is one sperm making it to the egg,” Streicher reiterates. Stick with condoms from proven brands like Durex, Trojan, and Lifestyle—they are still your best safeguard against STDs and unwanted pregnancy, according to a Consumer Reports analysis.  

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Article source: http://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/lube-hurting-your-sperm

Mice research brings male contraceptive pill closer

A contraceptive pill for men has moved one step closer after Australian researchers successfully made male mice infertile, according to a study published Tuesday.

Monash University scientists genetically modified mice to block two proteins found on the smooth muscle cells which are essential for sperm to travel through the animal's reproductive organs.

The result was that even though the mice had sex normally and were otherwise healthy, they were infertile, researcher Sabatino Ventura from Melbourne's Monash University said.