Are Heated Car Seats Making You Sterile?

Researchers noted in a recent Fertility and Sterility journal that sitting for 90 minutes in a heated car seat may not be as luxurious as expected. Because sperm are dependent on a constant temperature lower than that of body temperature, direct heat from seat heaters may have long-term effects on male fertility.

The study, found in Msnbc.com's health section, discussed one of the first of a series of studies on the effects of changes in the scrotal temperature. This study, however, did not research the effects on sperm.

"It is too early to (make) any conclusions concerning the influence of heating car seats on semen quality," Jung told Reuters Health.

The study tested 30 male volunteers. Jung's team found that, on average, 90 minutes on a heated car seat raised these men's scrotal temperature enough to almost match their body temperature. Jung noted that "sitting for prolonged periods, on its own, raises a man's scrotal temperature" so imagine what sitting directly on a heated seat could do.