A male infertility crisis is coming. The Middle East can help.

The following article by Marica Inhorn, William K. Lanman Jr. Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs and former Chair of the Council on Middle East Studies at the MacMillan Center, appeared in the New York Times on October 21, 2017.

Western men’s sperm counts are falling, and we ought to be concerned.

A major study published this July in the highly regarded fertility journal Human Reproduction Update showed that across Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, men’s sperm counts declined by 50 to 60 percent over the 38-year period between 1973 and 2011. Environmental and lifestyle factors may be responsible for the decline. But the end result may be a new social crisis of male infertility — with potentially wrenching emotional implications for both the men and women involved. (continue to article)