Dr. Christine Cui 2016-Jul-23

How lifestyle may impact male infertility

It has been known for centuries that women always blamed for the cause of infertility that happened in a couple.  However, did you know that male factor happens to be solely responsible for 50 % of the infertility cases? Therefore, it is important for both couples who try to conceive to put the effort into maintaining a healthy lifestyle in order for them to succeed.

Regular acupuncture session may increase sperm count as well as to improve the quality of sperms, it is equally important for a male to guard their lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle may increase the sperms count and hence may enhance the chance for couple to conceive.

First of all, we need to clarify some of the jargon that we will discuss in this article.  They are as follows:

Sperm count is a measure of the number of sperms per ejaculation, used as an indication of a man’s fertility. The higher the number, of course, the better, and hence increase fertility.

Sperm motility is an important part of semen analysis in order to check how fast the sperms are swimming.  The faster would be better sperms and increase fertility.

Sperm morphology is the percentage of sperms that appear to have a normal shape. This means that the sperm is not abnormal such as having a misshapen head or crooked or double tail.

So what is the connection between the male lifestyle and the sperm counts, motility and morphology?

Destructive lifestyle may lead to an unhealthy body and therefore reducing the sperms counts, motility and morphology in men. Hence, male fertility may also be affected, resulting in a low level of testosterone and difficult for a couple to conceive. The possible reason why sperm counts are low is because of the following:

• Stress. It is important to keep a low-stress level, as stress can produce toxic to male hormone; which will reduce the sperm counts and fertility level.
• Alcohol
• Overweight / Obesity
• Zinc deficiency
• Liver dysfunction
• Smoking

It is also recommended for men to consider taking supplements/food that may improve male fertility :

1. Folate and Vitamin B12
2. Zinc
3. Vitamin C
4. Coenzyme Q10
5. L-Carntine
6. Omega 3
7. Arginine deficiency, which may cause low sperm count and motility. Foods that are rich in arginine include shellfish, spinach, turkey and seeds.
8. Vitamin E
9. Lycopene can
10. Soy foods
11. Thyroid function
12. Coenzyme Q10

In conclusion, healthy parents equal to healthy babies and therefore It is important for both parents to take participate in conceiving.