If you and your partner are experiencing fertility issues, do not be alarmed. Infertility is more common than you think and affects about one in every six couples, of which about a third is due to male fertility problems.
While infertility is not always easy to treat, there are some things you can do to boost your chances of conceiving and can sometimes be improved by just changing to a healthy diet, supplements, and other simple changes.
Male Infertility – what is it?
Male infertility refer to the likelihood and chance of a man making a female partner pregnant and is linked to sperm quality and sexual functions.
More specifically Male Infertility is linked to:
- This can be describes as a person’s desire to have sex. Foods or supplements that claim to increase libido are called aphrodisiacs.
- Erectile dysfunction. Also known as impotence, erectile dysfunction is when a man is unable to develop or maintain an erection.
- Sperm count. An important aspect of semen quality is the number or concentration of sperm cells in a given amount of semen.
- Sperm motility. An essential function of healthy sperm cells is their ability to swim. Sperm motility is measured as the percentage of moving sperm cells in a sample of semen.
- Testosterone levels. Low levels of testosterone, may be responsible for infertility in some men.
What is a healthy sperm?
Sperm health depends on various factors, including quantity, movement and structure:
Quantity. You're most likely to be fertile if your ejaculate —in a single ejaculation — contains at least 15 million sperm per milliliter. Too little sperm might make it more difficult to get pregnant.
Movement. To reach and fertilize an egg, sperm must be able to swim and move. This is known as motility. You're most likely to be fertile if at least 40% of your sperm are moving.
Structure (morphology). Normal sperm have oval heads and long tails. Although this is not as important as sperm quantity or movement, the more normal the shape and structure, the more likely you are to be fertile.
How can Men improve their fertility?
Here are some simple steps and tips to improve male fertility:
- Take D-aspartic acid supplements
- Get enough vitamin C, D and zinc
- Exercise regularly
- Minimize stress – easier said than done right
- Lead a healthy lifestyle. Unhealthy lifestyle practices impair your overall health, including fertility
- Limit your alcohol intake. Avoid heavy alcohol consumption, as it may reduce testosterone levels and impair semen quality
- Get adequate sleep. This is vital to maintaining your health. Restricted or excessive sleep has also been linked to poor semen quality
- Eating a lot of antioxidant-rich foods, such as walnuts, seems to benefit fertility
- Avoid eating too much soy.
- And of course some recreational drugs are known to damage sperm quality and reduce male fertility. These include Cannabis and anabolic steroids
In conclusion…
Male Infertility is common amongst men and you are not alone. There are simple tips and changes you can make to your diet and lifestyle that, although it is not a guarantee, is highly likely to help with fertility problems and more specifically sperm quality.
Want to see if your diet and lifestyle changes are making a difference? – use our Yo Home Sperm test kit to monitor your sperm quality over time. (shop now)