The unexpected effect of stress on sperm performance

Stress may not always be bad for your health, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Communications (Source 1).

This indicates that stress could be beneficial for male fertility. Conducted by researchers from Colorado, the study reveals that motility changes (movement ability) of stress-induced sperm often occurs after a stressful event rather than during, but more importantly, these changes improve sperm performance. A discovery that is all the more interesting when we know to what extent sperm quality declines over the decades.

Changes observed after the stress episode

In detail, the researchers explain having observed, in humans as well as in animal models (mice) changes in extracellular vesiclesthese small particles released by our cells, at the level of the male reproductive system. Now, these vesicles play a role in the development and maturation of spermatozoa. Changes that did not occur during the stress episode, but after.

In both humans and male mice, stress-induced extracellular vesicles enhanced sperm motility and mitochondrial respiration, the chemical energy needed by the sperm as it travels to the egg.

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