A small Italian study suggests that men who love soaking up the heat in saunas may have lower sperm counts.

Good news, though: the effect may be only temporary, reports LiveScience on March 25.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Padova in Italy, appears in the April print edition of the journal Human Reproduction.

Researchers recruited 10 healthy Finnish men in their 30s. All had normal sperm counts at the beginning of the study. The men agreed to spend 15 minutes in a sauna twice a week for three months.

Sperm checks after three months found that the men had lower sperm counts, which remained below normal for three months after they stopped visiting saunas altogether. However, after six months sperm counts bounced back to normal.

Prior research has linked lower sperm counts with frequent use of hot tubs as well as keeping a laptop on your lap for long periods of time. -- AFPRelaxnews