German Car Zone

bmer · 08-28-2008, 09:38 AM

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:03 AM on 28th August 2008

Heated car seats may keep drivers warm on cold mornings - but they could also lower a man's sperm count, scientists claim.

A study found the electric-generated heat emitted by some driver's seats raises body temperature to a point that interferes with the production of healthy sperm.

It follows evidence from previous studies that men who sit in a car for more than three hours a day, or who work as long-distance lorry drivers or long-haul pilots, could be putting their fertility at risk.

The ideal temperature for sperm production is around 35C to 36C (95F to 97F), just below the average core body temperature of 37C (99F).

If temperatures are much higher - because, for instance, men wear tightly-fitting trousers or underwear, have long, hot baths or spend too long sitting down - sperm counts can fall dramatically.

Some fertility experts believe changes in fashion and lifestyles are partly to blame for falling sperm counts in recent decades.

To test the effects of car seat warmers, researchers at the University of Giessen, Germany, fitted temperature sensors to 30 healthy volunteers who then sat on a car seat fitted with a warmer for 90 minutes.

Within an hour, temperatures had risen from to an average of 37.3C.

One man recorded a temperature of 39.7C (103.5F) New Scientist magazine reported yesterday.

Sitting on an unheated seat also led to slightly raised temperatures of around 36.7C (98.1F).

While the researchers did not test the quality or quantity of the volunteers' sperm, they are worried the effects of car seat heaters may pose a greater risk to fertility than merely sitting for long periods.

Researchers in Holland compared the sperm counts of men who wore tight-fitting underpants for six months and found it fell compared to when they wore loose undergarments.

In the hot seat: Heated car seats and long traffic jams 'may be a threat to men's fertility' | Mail Online

The Artist · 08-28-2008, 09:46 AM

Thank god i live in sweden where a traffic jam doesent last longer than 30mins..
cause i love my seat heater..

EnI · 08-28-2008, 09:53 AM

... so are tight briefs, boxers, jeans, hot baths, etc.

So, guys, deposit your semen in the sperm bank before starting to wear tight pants, using jacuzzi, ordering heated seats etc.

MikeJ · 08-28-2008, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmer

[b]...who then sat on a car seat fitted with a warmer for 90 minutes.

Within an hour, temperatures had risen from to an average of 37.3C.

The question is, do people really keep their seat heater on for as long as 90 minutes, or even a full hour? For me, even when it's -25, 9 minutes is usually more than enough.

Centurion · 08-28-2008, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeJ

The question is, do people really keep their seat heater on for as long as 90 minutes, or even a full hour? For me, even when it's -25, 9 minutes is usually more than enough.

Exactly? Why turn your balls into roasted eggs. A few minutes is always enough.

Gullwing · 08-28-2008, 04:41 PM

In the E the seat heaters start at three and few minutes later drop to two and then to one. So you have to turn it back on if you want it on all the time.
In the Audi you could set it at what ever setting you want and it would stay there.

I think my laptop is doing more harm then the seat heater ever could.

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German Car Zone

Heated car seats and long traffic jams may be a threat to men's fertility