Celebrity Save Our Sperm: Who is on Channel 4's show - and how to boost your sperm count

That is the damning warning ahead of Channel 4's one-off documentary Celebrity Save Our Sperm, which is airing tonight (13 July).

The show will take three male celebrities and explore how they can improve their own reproductive health. Comedian Russell Kane, BBC Radio 1's Melvin Odoom and Made in Chelsea's Ollie Locke unite in a ballsy attempt to increase their sperm count in just 10 weeks.

It comes amid reports that male fertility rates have halved, with many experts attributing this to the western way of life. Scientists believe that simple lifestyle changes can "save men's swimmers" in the coming years.

Back in the 1970s, sperm counts in UK men stood at 100 million per ml of ejaculate, and have now dropped to an average of 48 million. Following that trend, the majority of men could be infertile by the year 2045.

In the 10pm documentary, it's up to the celebrities to rise to the challenge and prove there's still time to save our sperm and prevent "spermageddon".

Ahead of the documentary being aired, Channel 4 has teamed up with reproductive experts to offer advice on boosting your own sperm count.

Don’t cook your balls

Even a few degrees over 34 Celsius can seriously damage sperm, so if you’re looking to conceive avoid hot baths, hot tubs, steam rooms and saunas.

Get active

A sedentary lifestyle can affect reproductive health – and even sitting for too long can heat up sperm as thighs rub together and create heat.

Switch to boxers

A US study found that men who wore boxers had 25% more sperm concentration than those who wear tight-fitting underwear.

Ditch the caffeine

Caffeine causes DNA fragmentation in sperm – if you’re trying to conceive stick to one coffee a day.

Switch up your diet

Focus on antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids: nuts, fresh fish, fresh meat and fresh vegetables are all great for improving sperm health.

Cut the fizzy drinks

Studies show that one sugary soft drink a day reduced chances of conception by one third.

Avoid plastics

Recent studies have shown that we could be consuming up to one credit cards worth of plastic per week (through plastic wrapping on foods, plastic water bottles etc) – chemicals in plastic can interfere with hormonal function, which can subsequently affect testosterone production.

Stop smoking

Smoking reduces sperm concentration and motility, causes DNA damage and can cause problems with fertilisation, which can affect embryo development and can even lead to an increased chance of miscarriage.