⚠️This fact has been debunked
This is a myth. Tight pants/underwear may affect sperm count and fertility, but there is no scientific evidence linking them to erectile dysfunction (impotence). The claim conflates two different reproductive health issues.
Wearing tight pants can lead to impotence in men.
Can Tight Pants Really Cause Impotence in Men?
Here's a myth that's tighter than skinny jeans themselves: the idea that wearing snug pants will leave you unable to perform in the bedroom. While this claim has circulated for years, it confuses two completely different aspects of male reproductive health—and the science tells a different story.
The Confusion Between Fertility and Function
Impotence, medically known as erectile dysfunction (ED), is the inability to achieve or maintain an erection. It's typically caused by cardiovascular disease, diabetes, psychological factors, or lifestyle habits like smoking and excessive drinking. What you're wearing on your lower half? Not on that list.
The confusion stems from legitimate research about tight clothing and fertility—which is a separate issue entirely. Your ability to get an erection has nothing to do with your sperm count, yet these two topics get tangled together like headphones in a pocket.
What Tight Pants Actually Do
A major Harvard study of 656 men found that those who wore boxers had 25% higher sperm concentrations and 17% higher total sperm counts compared to men in tighter underwear. The mechanism? Heat. Testicles hang outside the body for a reason—they need to stay about 4 to 6 degrees cooler than your core temperature to produce healthy sperm.
Tight pants and underwear trap heat against the scrotum, raising its temperature and potentially affecting sperm production. Some research even found increased follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels in men wearing tight underwear, suggesting the body was working overtime to compensate for reduced sperm production.
But here's the key: none of this affects your ability to achieve an erection. Blood flow to produce an erection happens regardless of what's happening with sperm production.
Could Extreme Tightness Cause Temporary Issues?
In theory, pants so restrictive they cut off circulation could temporarily restrict blood flow or compress nerves, causing discomfort. But we're talking about clothing tight enough to cause pain—not your average pair of slim-fit jeans. And even then, any effect would be temporary and resolve once you changed clothes.
No credible research has found a link between normal clothing choices and clinical erectile dysfunction. ED involves complex vascular, neurological, hormonal, and psychological factors. Your wardrobe isn't among them.
The Real Takeaway
If you're trying to conceive, switching to boxers might give your sperm count a modest boost—though experts debate how significant this really is. One 2016 study of 473 men found no difference in time to pregnancy between brief-wearers and boxer-wearers, suggesting the effect may not matter much in practice.
But if you're worried about erectile function? Your pants are innocent. Focus instead on cardiovascular health, maintaining a healthy weight, managing stress, and avoiding smoking. Those factors actually matter for ED prevention.
So wear whatever makes you comfortable. Your sexual function isn't at stake—though your future children's swimming ability might be, at least according to some researchers.