Mens Fertility
A man’s lifestyle (his stress, sleep, alcohol, caffeine and dietary habits) all take a toll. Essentially, this affects mens’ fertility. Not only on his body, but his swimmers too. It is very common for women to focus on their fertility. The truth is it a fifty fifty partnership.
It is certain that your baby has half yours and your woman’s genetics. It is common sense that both parties prepare their health before consciously conceiving.
Worldwide there is a decline in human sperm quality. Environmental, occupational and modifiable lifestyle factors also contribute to this occurrence (Durairajanayagam, 2018). Some of the factors that influence a man’s fertility are:
- smoking cigarettes
- alcohol intake
- use of medications or illicit drugs
- overweight or obesity
- psychological stress
- advanced paternal age (we are leaving it later!)
- dietary habits
- caffeine consumption
- testicular heat stress
- intense cycle training
- lack of sleep
- electromagnetic radiation exposure (mobile phones)
Mens Fertility Supplements
Some supplements may improve sperm quality and quantity (Majzoub & Agarwal, 2017). Always consult an experienced Natural Health Practitioner. If you self-prescribe you can do harm. Or take ones you unnecessarily need. These range from:
- Vitamin E 1,000IU
- Vitamin C 1000mg
- Co-Enzyme Q10 200mg
- Selenium (note there is a restricted daily dose)
- Vitamin D
- Magnesium
- Zinc 50ug daily
- 4000ug Fish oil (I prefer cod liver oil, nordic brand)
- A Mens’ Multivitamin or Mens Fertility Multivitamin. (I don’t personally recommend Menevit as it an outdated formulation. There are better ones available).
Chinese Medicine Tips For A Healthy Lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle supports your body to function. This is important for Mens’ Fertility. When at peak health it is much easier for our body to give energy and conserve antioxidants. Then spermatogenesis (sperm production) can be a smooth and natural process.
- Aim to go to bed by 10pm, 7 to 8 hours rest is fantastic
- Enjoy activities you find inspiring and relaxing – what do you love to do?
- Quit smoking
- Be mindful to not only cope with stress, but to reduce unnecessary stressors. We choose our thoughts and how we feel about things. Do you react often to things? Being grateful can help you feel well. Instead of complaining about what you hate and don’t want.
- Avoid cold water or cold foods – this rule is paramount, the cold impairs circulation.
- Do you feel the cold easily, tire often or have poor digestion and circulation?
- Eating more warm soups, drinking teas and warm water will help you feel energised again.
“The importance of avoiding damaging chemicals is essential. Sperm are extremely sensitive to the effects of chemicals in the environment and in food.”
Dietary
- Start the day with a warm water and the juice of a quarter freshly squeezed lemon. You can take this before your herbs. Drink with a straw to protect your tooth enamel.
- Enjoy a warm, nourishing breakfast. Such as porridge, eggs with mushroom & spinach or dark rye sourdough & boiled egg.
- Uovo Sbatutto is my favourite Italian vegetarian breakfast to support jing. It’s full of anti-oxidants.
- Use Celtic Sea Salt. Cooking with small amounts of natural salt is good for you.
- Eat less sweet & oily foods.
- Drink room temperature water, warm water, herbal teas & warm food.
- Do you tend to get hot easily and have a lot of heat? Eat more greens and fruit, drink more water. Reduce spicy, roasted and fried foods, coffee and alcohol, and make sure you get enough rest.
- Plan for set mealtimes for breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea & dinner.
- Early dinner please, by 7:30pm at the latest!
- Bone soup it is very nourishing. Here is an example of a bone soup recipe, save it for when you have a day pottering at home and freeze the left overs (skim the fat too!). Bone broth supports gut health and general wellbeing.
- Eat seasonal foods and those in their most natural state. This includes fresh fruits & vegetables. Healthy fats, grass-fed meats, eggs and smaller amounts of sugars, nuts, legumes & grains.
- No fried foods or processed meats – have some nuts and seeds instead. Men who eat processed meats have poorer sperm.
Addictions
Seek support when you are ready to give up an addiction. There are some excellent treatments to support you do this. Like Acupuncture, Tapping & NLP and Hypnotherapy.
Everything In Moderation
- Coffee addicts – one weak one per day
- Alcohol drinkers – 1 glass of red wine every second night with a meal
- Chilli lovers – Not too much spicy food – very occasional please
- Chocoholics – try Cacao nibs mixed with some nuts and sultanas
- Ladies, did you know that sperm are good for you? According to this blogger as she refers to a State University of New York study in Albany.
- Anti-oxidant Foods to Improve both Sperm & Eggs
- Royal Jelly
- Chicken eggs
- Seeds, nuts & berries
- Marrow Bone Soup
- Organic Liver
- Seaweed & micro-algae (spirulina, barley & wheatgrass)
- Oysters
- Nettle tea
Look After Your Testicles
Avoid saunas, overly tight clothing, anything that inflames the groin.
Avoid electromagnetic radiation. Especially in the groin area caused by laptops/wifi devices/mobile phones etc.
Wear boxer shorts and loose pants
Medications
Are you taking medications? Medications can affect sperm motility, morphology and count. Such as medications for:
- High blood pressure: spironolactone, calcium blockers
- Peptic Ulcers: cimetidine
- Ulcerative Colitis: Salazopyrin, sulfasalazine
- Epilepsy: phenytoin
- Urinary Function: nitrofurantoin
- Antifungal medication: Grisovin and/or Griseostatin (griseostatin) (Lyttleton, 2009, p.260)
- Medications such as synthetic testosterone, anabolic steroids and some forms of chemotherapy
- Antibiotics such as tetracycline and erythromycin reduce sperm motility (Hargreaves et all, 1998)
- Sperm exposed to X-Rays become weaker and of inferior quality
Any Other Research or Evidence?
The British Association for the Promotion of Preconception Care (Foresight) has established this. And yes through research;
Healthy, well-nourished parents have healthy pregnancies and make healthy babies.
They recommend having a sound, well-balanced and ‘clean; (i.e. no junk food and added chemicals) diet. Considering the highest intake of essential vitamins and minerals. If you a ready to become a parent, now is a great time to make those changes. Changes to better you, your partner and future offspring.
Acupuncture Melbourne
Ilana Sowter has been supporting mens’ fertility for almost a decade! Located in Fairfield, Melbourne. If you need support to get healthy book in or get in touch for a free ten-minute assessment. Ilana is also an Acupuncturist and has a Masters in Chinese Herbal Medicine.
References
Cooper et al. (2009) ‘World Health Organisation reference values for human semen characteristics’. Human Reproduction UpdateVol.00, No.0, pp.1-15.
Durairajanayagam, D. (2018). Lifestyle Causes of Male Fertility. Arab Journal of Urology. Mar; 16(1):10-20. doi: 10.1016/j.aju.2017.12.004
Hargreaves, C, Rogers, S, Hills, F, Rahman, F, Howell, R, & Homa, S (1998). Effects of co-trimoxazole, erythromycin, amoxycillin, tetracycline and chloroquine on sperm function in vitro. Human Reproduction 13 (7): 1878-1886.
Lyttleton, J (2009) Treatment of Infertility with Chinese Medicine. Churchill Livingstone, Sydney.
Majzoub, A & Agarwal, A (2017). Antioxidant therapy in idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia. Indian J Urol. Jul-Sep; 33:(3):207-214. doi: 10.4103/iju.IJU_15_17
Noll, A & Wilms, S (2010) Chinese Medicine in Fertility Disorders. Thieme, New York.
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