Felix van der Heiden Finds 2 Live Sperm on Slide as Sperm Racing Exposes Fertility Problems
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 19
Felix van der Heiden Finds 2 Live Sperm on Slide as Sperm Racing Exposes Fertility Problems
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 19
A March check at Sperm Racing’s San Francisco office found Felix van der Heiden with just two twitching sperm on a slide, while Manu Bos said roughly 60% of his sample was dead.
Van der Heiden linked his result to testosterone replacement therapy and use of selective androgen and estrogen receptor modulators, which had already pushed his luteinizing hormone levels low.
Doctors told him he would need hCG injections to restart testicular function if he wants children, but sperm recovery would take time they did not have for their planned YouTube stunt.
The episode underscores the broader premise behind Sperm Racing: turning concern over declining male fertility into a biotech spectacle and social-media event.
As lab-grown sperm creates human embryos, are we ready for the ethical fallout?
Is the quest for the perfect online physique creating an infertility crisis?
Is our global plastic addiction the true culprit behind declining male fertility?