BBC: 'Ice on testicles and donating blood - the myths sold to men trying to boost their sperm' (2)

12 July, 2026

Neil,

Thank you for sharing this information. The “icing testicles” theory may come from the fact that testicles require a temperature lower than body temperature to produce sperm https://www.maleinfertilityguide.com/excessive-heat , hence the need for a scrotum. However, I saw no evidence that icing helps; reducing heat exposure (stopping truck driving, reducing hot tub use) have been recommended.

In addition to the healthy lifestyle factors you mention to reduce risk, a frequent exposure that has been shown to increase risk of infertility is PFAS, or “forever chemicals”, which are now ubiquitous and associated with male https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/envhealth.5c00655 and female infertility

Best wishes,

Margaret

Margaret Winker, MD

eLearning Program Director

Trustee

World Association of Medical Editors

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HIFA profile: Margaret Winker is Trustee and Past President of the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) and Director of the WAME eLearning Program. She is based in the US. Professional interests: WAME is a global association of editors of peer-reviewed medical journals who seek to foster cooperation and communication among editors, improve editorial standards, promote professionalism in medical editing through education, self-criticism, and self-regulation, and encourage research on the principles and practice of medical editing. margaretwinker AT gmail.com

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Margaret Winker