JAMAICAN men are being urged to leave the fashion trend of wearing tight pants to women, after recent revelations by a fertility expert that half of the sperm samples collected from Jamaican men are unsuitable for donation, with tight pants, drinking, and smoking among the main culprits.

In last week’s issue of the Sunday Observer, Caribbean Fertility Centre Clinical Director Dr Sharifa Frederick explained that in order for the testes to produce sperm, they need a cool environment. However, when men wear tight pants, she said it causes heat to build up in that area and affects the quality of sperm.

With this in mind, a recent poll conducted by the Jamaica Observer on Instagram asked women if they would ask their men to give up tight pants since it can affect their ability to get them pregnant.

The poll received 716 respondents, with an overwhelming majority agreeing that men should do away with the dangerous fashion trend.

In their responses, a total of 315 individuals, or 44 per cent of participants, declared that tight pants should only be worn by women, adding that they would encourage their men to let go of the fitted look.

An additional 258 individuals, or 36 per cent of respondents, said that they would also encourage their partner to let go of the fashion trend since it is better for his health.

On the flip side, 64 participants, or 9 per cent of individuals, said they would not encourage their partner to give up tight pants because they did not believe that it affects the sperm quality.

The remaining 79 individuals, or 11 per cent of respondents, were unsure of how they would approach the matter.

Sunday Observer readers also took to the comments section of the poll, suggesting that men should use tight pants as a form of birth control.

“If this is contributing to the decline in [the] population and it means women don’t have to take all the pills and face all the problems because men won’t get a vasectomy, then as much as I hate [to see it], make them wear dem tights,” one user reasoned.

“That sounds like free birth control to me,” wrote another user, while another wrote, “Free birth control”.

The National Family Planning Board, an agency within the Ministry of Health and Wellness, continues to champion the call for Jamaicans to practice safe sex. The agency recommends the use of various contraceptives such as condoms, oral contraception pills, injectable contraceptives, and male and female sterilisation, among other methods, to prevent pregnancy. Tight pants are not listed as an effective form of birth control.