Hey, Alice!
I just found out about you, and you're the perfect avenue for
finding out the answer to a question that a lot of my friends have
been wondering about: What are the health-related pros and cons
associated with wearing different types of men's underwear: briefs
(tighty-whiteys) and boxers? A lot of men seem to prefer the tight
ones, but there's some concern that it's more healthy to hang
loose.
We'll appreciate hearing your answer.
Curious About Underwear
Dear Curious About Underwear,
Good question. The physiological facts of guys' genitalia lead many
to think that there is a difference between boxers and tighter,
form-fitting underwear, particularly in terms of sperm count; however,
research doesn't always come to the same conclusion.
A study in the October 1998 Journal of Urology, for
example, concluded that underwear type is unlikely to have a significant
effect on male fertility. A man's external sexual organs consist of the
penis and the scrotum. The scrotum is the pouch that contains a
pair of testes, and its purpose is to maintain the testes at a
temperature of approximately five degrees less than the rest of the
body (about 93.6° F). The process of sperm production is
heat-sensitive. In hot temperatures, the muscles in the scrotum relax,
and the testes move away from the heat of the body. Conversely, in
cold temperatures, the muscles of the scrotum contract, where they
can maintain their five degree temperature difference.
Hope this helps, and hang in there,
- Alice
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Boxers or briefs?
