French men are apparently less fertile than they use to be, with their sperm count falling almost 30 per cent.
According to a new study published in the Oxford Journal Human Reproduction, aside from the French, there is an ongoing debate regarding a global decrease in human sperm quality.
With growing biological and toxicological exposure, scientists hypothesize that these and other factors may impair reproductive outcomes.
Researchers found that the sperm count in French men fell by nearly 30 per cent between 1989 and 2005, at a rate of about 1.9 per cent annually.
According to the study, the number of spermatozoa produced by an average 35 year-old French male dropped from 73.6 million to 49.9. million per milliliter.
For a country that prides itself on being one of the great baby-making nations of Europe, with generous maternity leave and other benefits, the results are worrying.