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By Laura Donnelly

Men’s sperm counts have fallen by almost 60 per cent since the 1970s, according to research that warns modern life may be fuelling a fertility crisis.

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Experts said the “shocking” decline should be treated as an “urgent wake-up call,” with chemicals, pesticides, stress, obesity and tight underpants among the factors linked to the changes.

Researchers said humans could become extinct if sperm counts in Western countries continue to fall at the current rates.

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Researchers behind the study, which tracked more than 40,000 men, said the findings should also be seen as a “canary in the coal mine” that could signal damage to health far beyond fertility.

Lower sperm count is linked to higher death rates, as well as to increased chances of suffering other diseases.

Dr Hagai Levine, lead author, said: “If we will not change the ways that we are living and the environment and the chemicals that we are exposed to, I am very worried about what will happen in the future.