Dr. Tomer Avidor-Reiss, who teaches at the University of Toledo’s biological sciences department, knows a lot about fertility — not just because of his research, but for personal reasons, too.

“Infertility affected my family twice,” Avidor-Reiss told Salon by email. His parents, he recalled, had trouble conceiving because of RH incompatibility, a condition in which mother and fetus have incompatible blood; he was only born after his mother had already suffered a miscarriage. He and his wife, too, struggled to conceive after they were diagnosed with “unexplained infertility”; happily, they were able to conceive eventually with the aid of modern medicine.

If current studies are to be believed, Avidor-Reiss’ family plight may become more common. Birth rates are dropping, and not necessarily for positive reasons (such as women having more autonomy and choosing to delay starting families). There is growing evidence that plastic pollution is linked to dropping sperm counts, which at least in Western countries means the majority of men could reach infertility levels in mere decades if sperm counts continue to plummet linearly. Read the Full Article