Exposure to wet heat (such as hot baths or hot tubs) is bad for a man's fertility. This notion just used to be an old wives tale and rarely documented. Now, there is actually scientific evidence to believe so.

According to a new study led by a University of California, San Francisco urologist, exposure to wet heat can actually lead to male infertility, the effects can sometimes be reversible though.

While dry heat exposure (fever fevers or through applied external heat) has well been documented to cause of impaired sperm production in both animals and humans, this pilot study is the first published study to show that total body exposure to wet heat can also impair both sperm production and motility.

Though preliminary, the results can already be used for lifestyle recommendations in men "attempting to conceive".

Findings will appear in the March-April 2007 issue of International Brazilian Journal of Urology - the official journal of the Brazilian Society of Urology.

Find more details from the press release.