Sperm killers?

These days we are having fewer babies. The plummeting birth rates may be the cause of less sex, abortions or your little swimmers are not as efficient as they should be.

Here are some surprising sperm zappers:

Bisphenol A: Bisphenol A is used primarily to make plastics. This chemical can seep into food from the packaging.

Phthalates: Some shampoos, soaps and even sex toys contain the chemicals that compromise sperm count and quality.

Alcohol and Smoking: Booze, nicotine and marijuana significantly lower sperm counts and mess with sperm's ability to swim.

Stress: Stress can cause many issues to a body and reproduction is no exception. Stress inhibits testosterone and cuts sperm count drastically.

Soy: The isoflavones in soy products mimic estrogen.

Polychlorinated biohenyls: PCBs accumulate in contaminated fish. Opt for smaller, younger fish.

Perfluoroalkyl acids: These are the chemicals found on nonstick products such as Teflon, Gore-Tex and wax paper. The chemicals lower sperm count.

Abstinence: Ok, I am not stating that you need to go hook up but waiting too long before cleaning the pipes is actually counterproductive. Waiting more than a few days to ejaculate can cause sperm to lose motility and change shape.