Spermageddon

English

Alternative forms

• spermageddon

Etymology

Blend of sperm +‎ Armageddon; coined in response to a controversial 2017 study which claimed that average human sperm count decreased by 52% between 1973 and 2011.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌspɜː(ɹ).məˈɡɛ.dn̩/, /-ˈɡɛ.dən/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌspɜːɹməˈɡɛ.dn̩/, /-ˈɡɛ.dən/
• Rhymes: -ɛdən

Proper noun

Spermageddon

1. (neologism) The (disputed) phenomenon of human sperm count decreasing over time, potentially leading to human extinction. [from 2017]
   • 2018 January 27, India Sturgis, “Spermageddon: Why the human race could be infertile in 50 years”, in The Daily Telegraph‎^[1], archived from the original on 2022-12-06:

     Are the stats misleading, or have we been distracted by fears of overpopulation, when in fact spermageddon – a fertility time bomb – has been sneaking up on us all along?

   • [2021 February 20, Nicholas Kristof, “Opinion | What Are Sperm Telling Us?”, in The New York Times‎^[2], archived from the original on 2022-10-11:

     Inevitably, there were headlines about "Spermageddon" and the risk that humans would disappear, but then we moved on to chase other shiny objects.]

   • 2021 May 10, Ruth Schuster, “Spermaggedon in the West? Relax, Harvard Has Good News for You”, in Haaretz‎^[3], archived from the original on 2023-01-16:

     Is humankind really facing "Spermageddon," a decline in sperm count that could spell the end of the species? Maybe, maybe not.

   • 2021 June 4, Rachel E. Gross, “The Sperm-Count 'Crisis' Doesn't Add Up”, in The New York Times‎^[4], archived from the original on 2022-12-26:

     Now a group of interdisciplinary researchers from Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology contend that fears of an impending Spermageddon have been vastly overstated.

   • [2022 April 25, Christine Sismondo, “Unpacking testicle tanning, the so-called spermageddon and shedding light on medical misinformation”, in Toronto Star‎^[5], archived from the original on 2022-08-23:

     The other problem here is that the 50 per cent decline in sperm counts, or "spermageddon" as it’s been called, has been called into question. Last year, "The Future of Sperm," a paper published by researchers from both Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, showed that the methodology behind the sperm panic was flawed.]

   • 2022 November 5, Ellie Austin, “Why are so many young men freezing their sperm?”, in The Times‎^[6], archived from the original on 2023-01-20:

     Some took issue with this forecast of an imminent Spermageddon. A group of Harvard researchers stated that the study was based on "questionable assumptions", such as the belief that sperm count alone is an accurate predictor of overall male fertility.