Are Men in a Spermpocalypse?
March 14, 2025 at 11:55PMIn this essay, Rosecrans Baldwin comprehensively covers all things sperm: sperm counts, sperm quality, sperm donors, embryonic selection, and IVF. He even looks to the future with IVG, or in vitro gametogenesis, where non-reproductive cells from a person’s body are reprogrammed into stem cells, and those stem cells are differentiated into eggs and sperm. In theory, you could reproduce with yourself—harrowing stuff. Baldwin is also not afraid to put himself in the test seat, sending his own sperm for analysis, and then, ultimately, deciding to commit to a vasectomy. Truly a deep dive!
Big names around the world have been sounding an alarm about a fertility crisis, though some seem to be, characteristically, pursuing individual solutions. Earth’s wealthiest man, White House influencer Elon Musk, reportedly has had at least 14 children. Last September he appeared to publicly offer to impregnate fellow billionaire Taylor Swift, to gallantly save her from a childless cat lady’s fate. Telegram founder Pavel Durov, who has claimed to have helped more than 100 couples conceive through sperm donation, has reportedly offered to finance in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment at a Moscow clinic for any eligible women who agree to use his sperm. A lot of men, it appears, are obsessed with disseminating their stuff, and thanks to technology and a lack of regulation, even nonbillionaires can realize paternal fantasies once reserved for kings and warlords.
More picks on reproduction
An I.V.F. Mix-Up, a Shocking Discovery and an Unbearable Choice
“Two couples in California discovered they were raising each other’s genetic children. Should they switch their girls?”
Inside Israel’s Fight to Make Fathers of Its Dead Soldiers
“Since last October, the families of every fallen soldier have been offered post-mortem sperm retrieval.”
Four Lost Pregnancies. Five Weeks of IVF Injections. One Storm.
“A couple spent years and tens of thousands of dollars trying to have a baby. Then Hurricane Ian hit.”
The Vatican’s Secret Role in the Science of IVF
“More than half a century ago, men of science and men of faith gathered together to unlock the mysteries of female fertility. The answer: urine from the brides of Christ. And lo, those nuns gaveth.”
We Gave Them Our Leftover Frozen Embryos. Now, We’re a Family.
“I had gone into this process hoping to find our embryos a loving family. But now we were finding a loving family for ourselves, too.”
Making Peace with Selective Reduction
When risks arise in her partner’s pregnancy with triplets, Amber Leventry discovers that letting go of one life doesn’t have to mean losing faith, or love.
from Longreads https://longreads.com/2025/03/14/are-men-in-a-spermpocalypse/
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