Tips on How to Improve Male Fertility

Men are just as likely to be the missing piece in the fertility puzzle as women. There are many adjustments that can be made in your day-to-day life to make fertility a more achievable goal. Sometimes the answers are all around you, but seeing the forest can be hard when you’re surrounded with all of those darned trees!

What You Can Do
As the great French writer Gustave Flaubert would say, ‘Le bon Dieu est dans le detail’ or ‘God is in the details’. Since pregnancy is the result of a single viable sperm fertilizing a single viable egg, the following factors can make all the difference in the world.
 
Personal Habits
As a rule of thumb, anything that has a negative effect on your body will have a negative effect on your fertility. What that means to you is if you are taking drugs (illicit or otherwise), experiencing high stress, not sleeping well, smoking cigarettes, if you have a poor diet, or if you drink alcohol excessively or frequently, it could be playing a role in your difficulties conceiving.

Radiation
Where do you keep your cell phone? If it is in your front pocket, it may be time to invest in a belt clip. It may sound silly, but there have been tests that show that there is a possibility that cell phones may have an effect on sperm cells. If there is a fraction of a chance that it may be tempering your attempts at conception, then it’s worth making a change.

Loosen Up!
You've probably heard this one before, but anything that squeezes your testes also puts the squeeze on your sperm mobility. You may want to put away those tight fitting jeans and pick up a pair of boxer shorts and give yourself a little room to breed. Your tight fitting pants can also contribute to a rise in temperature which is not beneficial to your fertility either.
 
Heat
You may like to warm up to the moment by spending some romantic time in the hot tub. If this is how you work your magic, then it’s time to learn a new spell. The heat from a hot tub, your laptop, or even keeping your legs pressed together or crossed when you sit can have a damaging effect on sperm cells.

Fitness
If you have a waist size of over forty inches, or have otherwise been classified as obese by your doctor, you are not only more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED), but you are also more prone to suffer from infertility caused by obesity. Type 2 diabetes is associated with obesity. These diabetics often experience decreased libido and sperm production, as well as decreased levels of testosterone. Testosterone can also be converted to estrogen by excess fat.

Though your doctor can prescribe antiestrogen medications in an attempt to stimulate the production of testosterone, your reproductive system and overall health will both benefit from a weight loss routine including regular exercise and a complete, healthy diet.

Sexual Activity
That’s right, if you want to produce more sperm, have more sex. Harry Fisch, the author of The Male Biological Clock suggests that sperm motility is optimized by having sex every other day. For the best productivity, you should start this pattern about 10 to 18 days after the start of the last period. Try to keep your fun sex and your reproductive sex separate so that your intimate time with your partner does not turn into "work".

The Medicine Cabinet
There has been some evidence that antioxidants can improve sperm quality, however, there is not much research available as to which antioxidants or how effective they have been. Some urologists have prescribed Proxeed by Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals, however this product would benefit from further evaluation to confirm the actual benefits. Anabolic steroids, testosterone injections and testosterone creams should not be used if you are trying to conceive as they dampen the body’s natural production of testosterone. Alpha blockers, beta blockers, and SSRI antidepressants can also have negative effects in both libido and fertility.
 
The Herbal Influence
Many believe that herbal remedies are not only harmless, but better than conventional cures as they are "natural". While there are many herbals that are regularly employed for many purposes, it is important to remember that these "cures" are usually both unregulated and can be dangerous if not used properly. Herbal supplements can be just as potent as any other medication, making experimentation risky business. While there are several herbal formulas that claim to increase the volume of your semen or the viability of your sperm, none have solid evidence to support their value.

Your Urologist
If you have had a vasectomy in the past, you will probably require a reversal. Spontaneous reversals have been reported, but are certainly not usual. You may also have other issues that can be handled in an outpatient setting utilizing microsurgery, such as varicoceles, scarring, or blocked ducts.

Though making adjustments in each of these areas can support better fertility, it is quite possible that you could require further guidance. If you are having difficulty conceiving you may want to consider speaking with a reproductive endocrinologist about the options that are available to you and your partner to maximize your fertility.