Just get your partner pregnant. That’s not quite as stupid an answer as it sounds. Standard tests of fertility tend to over simplify what is a complex area.

For example, sperm counts aren’t everything. Aging men have lower counts, for example, but their fertility rates are much the same as younger men, though success may take longer. Also, you have to look not just at sperm number, but at sperm movement and quality, too.

Then, of course, there’s your partner to consider. You could be Mr Supersperm, but it won’t count for much if she’s not releasing an egg each month.

So fertility is best seen as a joint issue – something involving both you and your partner. And the acid test is a pregnancy test.

Turn up a positive one within a year and, obviously, everything’s OK. If not, then everything’s probably still OK, but it’s worth going together to see your GP to get a few basic tests done.

If you are looking to boost your chances of putting buns in ovens, then the standard advice is to address those factors which have been shown to adversely affect sperm – overweight, smoking, boozing and drug abuse (including anabolic steroids).

The true effect of these on fertility (as opposed to sperm analysis) isn’t clear, though – but it makes sense, from a general health perspective, to sort out your lifestyle if you’re thinking of doing your bit for the gene pool.

As for tight underwear and hot baths: yes, sperm don’t much like a hot scrotum, but whether cooling your nether regions makes any difference remains a mystery. Could make for some amusing research, though.