Scrotal Hypothermia and the Infertile Man

Fifty men with oligospermia or reduced sperm motility were tested with scrotal cooling by ice packs applied to the scrotum at night and held in place with jockey shorts. Sperm density and motility were compared before and after treatment. At least a 2-fold increase in sperm density and comparable increases in sperm motility were seen in 65 per cent of the patients in this series. The percentage of successful treatment was the same whether or not a varicocele was present. These results further support the detrimental influence of heat on spermatogenesis.