Laptop Computers and Sperm Count Studies have shown that heating the scrotu-m by just 1°C can reduce sperm count and sperm quality, with long-term consequences. Exercise 2.113 on page 90 introduces a study indicating that males sitting with a laptop on their laps have increased scrotal temperatures. Does a lap pad help reduce the temperature increase? Does sitting with legs apart help? The study investigated all three of these conditions: legs together and a laptop computer on the lap, legs apart and a laptop computer on the lap, and legs together with a lap pad under the laptop computer. Scrotal temperature increase over a 60-minute session was measured in °C, and the summary statistics are given in