European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 23, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Evidence scant for linking infertility tight underwear by Allan Parachini los Angeles times t had been several months since Dan 32, and his Wile began attempts to have their first child and As Dan recalls it now nothing was happening a3 far a both of them knew there was no biological reason Why Conception had not occurred so Dan did what a significant though totally unqualified number of american men Are apparently doing today. He got rid of his jockey shorts end started wearing boxers. Dan recalls it was something that we had heard around. Ii was kind of one of those old wives  what Dan end his Wile had heard was a Folk Wisdom so pervasive that 60 percent to 70 percent of the men seeking help Al tie offices of some specialists in male infertility have already shed their lorm Ming undershirts and Bikini briefs by the time thay first see the doctor go percent or More in Lavor of boxers and the rest going eur natural. The folklore belief holds that since there is Strong scientific evidence thai Testicles exposed to abnormally High heat Ara severely compromised in terms of sperm production switching from tight underwear to Loose or none will reduce the heat and improve a Man s Fertility we Hon months. Dan s wife was pregnant the couple s baby Girt now 9 months is healthy and Dan is still wearing boxers i m not convinced in was the lao Tor he said a Lew Days ago. By it certainly did t Hurt  Dan As Well As a dozen or to other men polled informally by the los Angeles times agreed to Elk about their underwear preferences Only on the condition they would not be identified and Only then with reluctance. Fertility specs Allie generally but not unanimously. Agree that while the scientific principle of heat reduction on which the underwear decision is based is sound evidence that the Hea sperm relationship depends in underwear style is sparse. I sea Many patients who come Here on the advice of their wife s gynaecologist or their Frienda who Tell them that they should Wear boxers instead of jockey shorts said or Jacob Rajfer a University of California los Angeles Fertility specialist in urology you see a Tat of strange  generally Rajfer will explain that White there is a Clear relationship Between sperm count and exposure to some types of heat men concerned with Fertility Are advised not to spend very much Lime in hot tubs. Jacuzzi or saunas for instance the underwear connection remains Little More than something that sounds logical but has nol been established scientifically. Still other urologists and Fertility specialists however Erma Bombeck someone should have told me that when my sons were born Bald with Rosy scrubbed Cheeks. I should have quit while i was winning. But no i had to make such a big Deal about growing hair. Whenever they grew a few strands on their head i combed in. Puffed in up rearranged it and said my what big boys you arel1 eventually in fell in their eyes grew Over their ears and in the 60s cascaded Down the sir backs and got stuck in the sofa cushions. Naturally 1 was Upsal. I did not go through 36 hours of labor with each one to have them look like Doris Day and Sandra Dee re Peevely. For a period of 10 years it was the Only form of communication we had. I d say get a haircut Weirdo " and they would slam the Doof. When Short hair came in i thought my prayers had been answered when i noticed a Shadow Over hair a and some wiry singing hairs coming out of their Chin. React like or. Ira Sharril or or. P Dale Mcclure both of san Francisco. Mcclure counsels patients not to Wear sweat relating Nylon Bikini briefs Hough Cotton jockey shorts fire acceptable and Sharlit said that he goes along with a drastic shift in underwear preference not because he is convinced it will accomplish anything but because the testicular heat underwear relationship is based on a logical concept that May eventually prove valid. Theoretically in makes sense Sharril said but practically i Don t know if it makes any difference " the ill Tomt town is such a direct connection Between testicle temperature and Fertility has even spawned the appearance on the Market of a �795 testicular hypothermia  ii consists of what appear to be very skimpy briefs into which lubes Are sewn that connect to a Small pump worn around the Waist on a Belt the pump circulates Cooling fluid through the briefs and the manufacturer claims the system can achieve a drop of two to six degrees in testicular temperature a margin according to repro med systems inc., of in Middletown n.y., significant enough to enable production of viable sperm in some infertile men. Or. Larry Lipshultz a professor of urology at Baylor University medical school in Houston like Many Fertility experts noted that while higher than Normal scrotal temperatures Are clearly associated with infertility in remains unproven that simply lowering the temperature Wilt bring about a cure. Other Fae lors May be involved. Among these is the presence of varicose veins in the scrotum called varicocele a. Four times More common in infertile men Shan in Fertile ones varicocele can often be surgically corrected. When they Are semen Quality frequently improves. It is this doubt about the therapeutic Benefit of simply lowering testicle temperature that makes Roost physicians unsure of the folklore about underwear and sceptical of the newly introduced repro med device. Nor Doe it appear that american men Are stampeding away from tight underwear. In act just the opposite is apparently occurring. According to marketing officials of jockey International maker of jockey Brand underwear products briels have taken an overwhelming Lead Over boxers with boxers Market share tailing continuously every year Lor the last two or three decades. Bikini briels Are cornering an Ever growing share of the Market in the United states according to jockey and other manufacturers. At the moment the Market at Large includes 13 percent or so Lor bikinis 17 percent boxers and the rest the conventional style briefs women Are buying bras again United press International Ras Are in again but women have gone without for so Long they need help in buying them. So says one specialist on the subject. Now More than Ever women want to look shapely again women want to look pretty Ruth Frolove a Bra specialist Al Frederick s of Hollywood said. The clothing Chain which specializes in risque lingerie Lor women said brassieres comprise its largest sales category. With the Days of Bra burning Long gone and the Era of mtg and Madonna firmly entrenched women again Are buying brassieres Frolove said. Teen age girls who see female Rock singers prancing in their undies on music videos Are discovering Garter belts merry widows lace gloves and bras. Older woman influenced by prime time soap opera fashions Are equally enthusiastic about bras and want spree lined and uplifting look. Frolove said. Women Are More body conscious now with the emphasis on health and fitness combined with today s close fitting fashions women want a Bra that will give them figure definition Stolove said. But first time Bra buyers and those who have eventually they looked like what came out during a full Moon. I have never seen so much disgusting hair on a face in my Lile. When they came Home from College on Spring Breaks my husband and i used to watch them As they slept with tears in our eyes. They looked like Abraham Lincoln on a Penny. In a few years the beards eventually disappeared and Lite settled Down to Normal. A few months ago one of them came Home and after a few Days i said Aren t you going to shave he said. I did just a few hours ago " did you put a Blade in it of course. It s the be  the new look is what is being worn by Don Johnson on Miami vice Bruce Weitz on Hill Street blues and Harrison Ford. Before that it was worn by winos end travellers whose Luggage had been lost Lor three weeks. It in t a Beard it s a stubble of hairs that stick straight out All Over the face like a Porcupine in heat forgotten How to properly fit the items Are having a difficult time selecting a Bra and Are wearing them either too Light or Loose unflattering and uncomfortable Frolove said. Frolove said that according to one Magazine Survey about 75 percent of the women in America Are wearing the wrong size Bra. Frederick a to solve the problem has prod iced a free reining Booklet on proper Bra fit and selection. A woman would t dream of buying a pair of shoes without trying them on. But so Many women buy a Bra that Way Frolove said. Most women Frolove said buy bras Oil he rack without any sales help. She attributes that to shyness and especially among Young women sensitivity about their bodies. According to the Booklet a Bra fits properly when its Center seam is against the breast Bone the skin does t bulge around the edges and the shoulder straps feel comfortable. A poorly fitting Bra is one with straps that dig into the skin or thai rides up the Back. Because breast size can fluctuate with weight changes childbirth the ingestion of birth control pills end aging the Booklet recommends choosing each Bra As if it was your first. It goes with the sexual revolution. To look sexy these Days men have that a just rolled Oul of the sack look. Bare Leet wrinkled trousers no Belt tousled hair while they Chew on a Toothbrush. We re talking visuals Here. We used to Call it 5 o clock Shadow and hairy men fought it like a disease. They shopped for razors that would give them such a close shave it removed the first layer of skin just to have a woman run her hand Over their face and Coo now that s More like  now a stubble is a sign of manliness. A suggestion that you did t sleep in your own bed the night before and you May not sleep in it tonight. I la survive the new growth of hair. I always have but t have to wonder when this style goes out where they la grow hair next to get my blood pressure soaring. My husband picks Lurry Ankles with maybe a Gold Chain around them. I can t wait till they grow Bald again. Snack saturday August 23, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 17