Firing blanks! - High percentage of J’can males have poor sperm quality

Up to 80 per cent of men who have stepped forward to donate sperm have been found to have very low-quality sperm. Dr Kamali Carroll, founder of the Jamaica Fertility Clinic, made the shocking revelation in an interview with THE WEEKEND STAR.

"Many of the donors do not have good sperm quality despite being young and healthy," she explained, adding that for every 10 men who are screened, only one or two have sperm of sufficient quality to donate.

This decline in sperm quality is not unique to Jamaica.

"There has been a global decline, and sperm banks globally are reporting this," Carroll, said, adding that this is due to more men showing up with poor-quality sperm.

Men's reproductive capacity has fallen drastically in recent decades. A study published by the US National Library of Medicine, titled 'Reasons for worldwide decline in male fertility', said several retrospective and basic science studies have shown possible links for this decline in sperm to parameters such as obesity, diet, and environmental toxins.

The Jamaica Fertility Clinic has been paying $10,000 to $15,000 to young healthy men in exchange for sperm donation. According to Carroll, about a third of all couples at the clinic use donor sperm. She said that half of infertility cases that visit the facility are due to male factors - from low sperm count to the sperm having difficulty moving or swimming properly, reducing their ability to reach and fertilise an egg.

Carroll said a benefit of donation is being able to know one's fertility status, so that if there is a problem, males can identify it and have time to have it addressed. She also emphasised that even though donors are compensated, "we prefer donors that are not only doing it for the money, but also because they genuinely want to help others".

A two-time donor told THE WEEKEND STAR that his motivation for donating was a genuine desire to help someone start a family.

"Give it and make someone happy," he responded, when asked his advice to persons who are contemplating donations.

The 27-year-old college dropout, who has children on his own, said he is okay with having children he may never know. He said that his motivation is "to help the population".

Another donor, a 21-year-old university student, admitted that his primary reason for donating was the compensation.

He also explained he had no children and is unsure about how he feels about the possibility of having children he may never know.