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All over the world, banks are going through a meltdown.  In the UK even the sperm banks are suffering.  After reversing confidentiality laws and limiting the number of women who can use sperm from one donor, Britain is now facing a sperm donor shortage. One reason, say experts, is that the identity of the donor fathers is not protected.  Children are now allowed to learn the identity of the donors, after a law was changed in 2005 that protected their anonymity.

"The only countries that seem to have enough sperm are those that pay — like the U.S. and Spain — or the countries that retain anonymity," said Allan Pacey, a member of the British Fertility Society that warned of the shortage in the British Medical Journal. "In the countries that have removed anonymity ... there seems to be a problem," he said.

The number of donors has been on the decline.  In 2000, there were 325, and in 2006 — the year after the law was changed — the number dropped to 307.  That's compared to 503 donors in 1991, says the Human Fertilisation and Embryonic Authority.  Britain needs 500 sperm donors to support the demand.

Usage limits could also affect availability. In Britain, only 10 babies can result from one donor — a limit some have called arbitrary. The Dutch allow one donor to supply sperm to 25 women. The United States does not cap sperm donations at all, according to Eleanor Nicoll, spokeswoman for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. However, the group suggests that a single donor be limited to no more than 25 births in a population of 800,000 to avoid having siblings from the same sperm donor having children together.

In France, sperm donation is anonymous and the government covers donors' expenses but the country still faces a sperm shortage. France registered 248 sperm donors in 2006, according to the country's Agency of Biomedicine — a level an official there said was not enough to supply demand. Unlike Britain, U.S. donors have the option of remaining anonymous, said Dr. Robert Visscher, former executive director of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine.

This is certainly a dire situation for infertile couples wanting to conceive.  But some studies suggest that the fertility of humans at large is also in danger.  Read more here. In a recent article in Health_Safety.shtml" target="_self">foodconsumer.org a study commissioned by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Health and Food Safety, and carried out by Veterinary University Vienna, confirms that genetically modified(GM) corn seriously affects reproductive health in mice.

"Non-GMO advocates, who have warned about this infertility link along with other health risks, now seek an immediate ban of all GM foods and GM crops to protect the health of humankind and the fertility of women around the world."

"The corn is genetically modified with genes that produce a pesticidal toxin, as well as genes that allow it to survive applications of Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup."

It's not just the food we're eating that threatens our survival as a species, it's also the packaging the food comes in.  Bisphenol A, a chemical used to harden plastic packaging for many foods and beverages may affect human reproduction, according to the Washington Post.

"Bisphenol A (BPA) could hurt the chances of successful in vitro fertilization, or the ability of embryos to attach to the uterus, according to presentations at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's annual meeting, which concluded Wednesday in San Francisco."

The article concludes,

"Previous animal experiments have suggested that BPA may mimic the female sex hormone estrogen. The worry has been that exposure to the chemical can cause birth defects and developmental problems in children. Exposure to BPA also has been suspected of causing a variety of other health problems, including cancer, diabetes, obesity and attention-deficit disorder. BPA exposure can occur through direct contact with the chemical or by exposure to food or drink that has been in contact with material containing BPA."

The sperm shortage piece seemed frivolous to me at first, but after some consideration I realize that this is only the beginning of our understanding of how our environment is is turning against us.  The over-industrialization of the world is going to catch up to us sooner or later, unless we start taking measures to ensure our future propagation. The subject of fertility brings a lot of questions to mind.  On the one hand, it certainly makes me sad to think that the future generations are going to have a hard time reproducing. But, I wonder if this isn't nature's way of telling us that we need to downsize?  Do you think the world is over-populated?  Is the growing population contributing to the over-consumption of the Earth's resources?  And what does this mean for women?  What role do we play in this picture?