Count down : how our modern world is threatening sperm counts, altering male and female reproductive development, and imperiling the future of the human race Cover Image

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Count down : how our modern world is threatening sperm counts, altering male and female reproductive development, and imperiling the future of the human race / Shanna H. Swan, PhD ; with Stacey Colino.

Swan, Shanna H., (author.). Colino, Stacey, (author.).

Summary:

"In 2017, author Shanna Swan and her team of researchers completed a major study. They found that over the past four decades, sperm levels among men in Western countries have dropped by more than 50 percent. They came to this conclusion after examining 185 studies involving close to 45,000 healthy men. The result sent shockwaves around the globe--but the story didn't end there. It turns out our sexual development is changing in broader ways, for both men and women and even other species, and that the modern world is on pace to become an infertile one. How and why could this happen? What is hijacking our fertility and our health? Count Down unpacks these questions, revealing what Swan and other researchers have learned about how both lifestyle and chemical exposures are affecting our fertility, sexual development--potentially including the increase in gender fluidity--and general health as a species. Engagingly explaining the science and repercussions of these worldwide threats and providing simple and practical guidelines for effectively avoiding chemical goods (from water bottles to shaving cream) both as individuals and societies, Count Down is at once an urgent wake-up call, an illuminating read, and a vital tool for the protection of our future"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

ISBN: 9781982113667
ISBN: 1982113669
ISBN: 9781982113674
ISBN: 1982113677
Physical Description: x, 292 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Edition: First Scribner hardcover edition.
Publisher: New York, NY : Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2021.
Copyright: ©2020

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

The changing landscape of sex and fertility -- Reproductive shock: hormonal havoc in our midst -- The diminished male: where have all the good sperm gone? -- It takes two to tango: her side of the story -- Gender fluidity: beyond male and female -- the sources and timing of these shifts -- Windows of vulnerability: timing is everything -- Up close and personal: lifestyle habits that can sabotage fertility -- Silent, ubiquitous threats: the dangers of plastics and modern chemicals -- The reverberating fallout -- The long reach of exposures: reproductive ripple effects -- Imperiling the planet: It's not just about humans -- Imminent social insecurities: demographic deviations and the unraveling of cultural institutions -- What we can do about this -- A personal protection plan: cleaning up our harmful habits -- reducing the chemical footprint in your home: making it a safer haven -- Envisioning a healthier future: what needs to be done.