Male Fertility Tips

When you are trying to have a baby, you want to do everything possible to increase your chances of getting pregnant. In honor of Father’s day, it seems only fitting to address male fertility. Though some factors are out of his control, your partner can make lifestyle choices that will have a positive impact on male fertility. Most male factor fertility issues involve the quality or quantity of sperm.

The choices we make can have an impact on our health, including fertility. The following tips will help you and your partner maximize your efforts to get pregnant:

• Cut out tobacco use
• Smoking damages sperm and affects hormone production.
• Eat a balanced diet
• The antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables can positively impact sperm health. Taking a multi-vitamin each day can also boost overall wellness.
• Keep your cool
• When you are trying to get pregnant, certain activities such as time in a hot tub, bicycling, laptop use can increase scrotal temperature, which can inhibit sperm production. Along those lines, wearing boxers instead of briefs may also help the cause.
• Limit alcohol consumption
• Like tobacco, alcohol can impact the motility and quantity of sperm.
• Lower stress levels
• Too much tension can lower sperm volume and increase the production of abnormal sperm, so incorporate relaxation activities, like mediation or yoga, into daily life.
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Just as being too thin or too heavy can hurt female fertility, weight can also lower sperm count. If your partner needs help in this area, ask your family doctor for suggestions.
• Participate in moderate exercise
• Too much time at the gym can inhibit fertility, but being a couch potato is a problem too. Exercising two to three times a week for 30 to 45 minutes provides the right balance.
• Watch medication intake
• Antibiotics, herbal supplements, anabolic steroids and even blood pressure medicine could affect fertility so talk with your partner should ask discuss any routine medications with his physician.
• While doing everything you can to improve your odds is important, you also need to realize when it’s time to seek additional help. Your partner can eat vegetables all day long, but that factor won’t address anatomical concerns or negligible sperm production.

If you and your partner have been actively trying for at least 12 months (six months if the female is over 35), consider contacting a reproductive endocrinologist. With advanced training, a fertility specialist can perform various tests to identify any issues and work with you to develop a solution that will result in the baby you desire.

James Douglas, M.D. is a fertility doctor, practicing in Texas.

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