Requirement of temperature for Spermatogenesis | DNB Based MCQ

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True statement regarding the requirement of temperature for spermatogenesis?

A. Requires temperature higher than core temperature 
B. Required temperature should be conducive 
C. Requires temperature lower than core temperature 
D. Requires temperature equal to core temperature

Ans. C. (Requires temperature lower than core temperature)

Explanation
• Spermatogenesis requires a temperature considerably lower than that of the interior of the body.

• The testes are normally maintained at a temperature of about 32°C.

• They are kept cool by air circulating around the scrotum and probably by heat exchange in a countercurrent fashion be the spermatic arteries and veins.

• When the testes are retained in the abdomen or when, in experimental animals, they are held close to the body by tight cloth binders, degeneration of the tubular walls and sterility result.

• Hot baths (43—45°C for 30 minutes per day) and insulated athletic supporters reduce the sperm count in humans, in some cases by 90%. However, the reductions produced in this manner are not consistent enough to make the procedures reliable forms of male contraception.

• In addition, evidence suggests a seasonal effect in men, with sperm counts being greater in the winter regardless of the temperature to which the scrotum is exposed.