A study published in the journal Human Reproduction says that almost 20% of French Men are falling short of sperms that are required to get woman pregnant.

As per the findings of the study, a decline of 32.3% has been reported in the sperm count in French men since 1989, which means on an average 1.9% decrease was recorded each year. However, the number of what doctors call "normally shaped sperms" fell down by 33.4%.

The results were derived from the tests, which were conducted on semen samples taken from 26,600 men from over the France who participated in the study. The researchers deemed that the finding are alarming and are raising a serious concern.

Describing the results as a serious health warning, Dr. Joelle Le Moal, co-author of the study, said the matter required probe into the reasons and fix them at the earliest.

"We still do not know which are most important factors, but perhaps the most likely is a combination such as a high-fat diet combined with increased environmental chemical exposures", said the Professor Richard Sharpe, from the University of Edinburgh as he blamed the modern life style for the cause.

Other countries to report similar findings are New Zealand, India, Tunisia and Israel, quoted Reuters.