When considering issues with getting pregnant it’s common to begin the search with tests for the mom to be but this isn’t fair because it could just as easily be the male. Male fertility is affected by the same things that female fertility is and in the same proportions. Approximately 30% of cases are male factor, 30 % are female factor, 20% are both male and female, and 20% are unexplained. So, if you are investigating why you can’t get and stay pregnant it’s just as important to run tests for both women and men. Even if you haven’t had issues yet and are just beginning considering pregnancy both the man and woman should consider their overall health including diet and lifestyle. Let’s take a look at what tests should be run, what may show up as not optimal, and what steps men should take to make sure their sperm is health and ready to go.
When testing sperm it’s most common for doctors to only test quantity but in reality, that doesn’t give you enough information to know if the sperm is healthy. You can have great quantity but still have unhealthy sperm that either won’t be able to get to the egg or contain genetic defects that could end in miscarriage. When testing sperm you want to test for quantity, motility (how well the sperm moves), and morphology (the shape of the sperm). If you want the gold standard of testing you will test these as well as the genetics of the sperm. Having these tests done will give a good idea of the overall health of the sperm. While, there are some physical issues that can affect sperm like undescended testicles or varicocele veins many issues with sperm are often caused by hormonal issues and inflammation just like with many female fertility issues. This means that these things can often be addressed with diet, supplements, and lifestyle changes.
Factors like low testosterone, excess estrogen and inflammation can all contribute to issues with sperm. What causes issues with hormones and inflammation? Most often blood sugar dysregulation, poor diet full of overly processed foods, gut health issues, and environmental toxins. Blood sugar dysregulation creates an emergency response in the body which causes the body to down regulate sex hormone production. Chronic issues with blood sugar due to a diet high in processed carbs, sugars, and sugary drinks leads to chronic issues with sex hormones. Most often in men it shows up as low testosterone, high estrogen, and an imbalance in LH and FSH. These hormones are what spur semen production and when out of balance semen production lowers and in some cases even ceases to happen. Blood sugar issues along with processed foods, gut health issues, and environmental toxins all contribute to inflammation. Inflammation also affects the quantity of semen but even worse it affects the quality of the sperm. Not only, will you produce less but you will also be more likely to produce misshapen sperm with DNA issues. Fortunately, these things are mostly in your control!
To support healthy sperm creation men should make sure they are eating a well balanced nutrient dense diet. This means that at each meal they should strive to eat a wide variety of veggies, a small portion of complex carbs like potatoes, winter squash, properly prepared whole grains or legumes, a good sized portion (typically the size of the palm of your hand) of high quality protein like grass-fed beef or pasture raised chicken, and plenty of healthy fats like olive oil, pastured butter, ghee, wild caught fish, avocados, olives, and coconut. If budget is an obstacle to quality food consider buying from local farmers, only buying organics from the dirty dozen list, looking into subscription boxes like butcher box, or even growing some of your own food. Food is only one part of the equation stress has a large impact on sperm quality as well and also has an impact on what you can absorb from your food. Stress is a double whammy because it causes systemic inflammation and also affects our ability to digest and absorb the food we eat. If you find that you are struggling with a lot of stress in your life it’s important to do what you can to eliminate any unnecessary stressors and then implement self-care practices to help mitigate what you can’t eliminate. Self-care is not just for women! Men need to care for themselves too. Do what you can to find time in your day to do something to take care of your mental health even if it’s just for 15 minutes. Some great stress reducing activities include: meditation, yoga, walking, breathing exercises, talking to a therapist, and/or resistance training with body weight or regular weights (try not to move too fast as that can cause more cortisol-the stress hormone- to be released and is counter productive for the purpose of stress relief).
Environmental toxins also need to be addressed and kept to a minimum for optimal sperm health. Chemicals called xenoestrogens can be found in cleaning products, plastics, grooming products, and fragrances (like cologne). These chemicals disrupt the hormonal balance in your body and cause issues with sperm count and quality. Other toxins that can be found in cleaning products, industrial chemicals, pesticides, paints, etc. can all cause damage to the sperm affecting shape and the DNA contained in the sperm. Some of these things can easily be replaced with safer products and solutions others may be out of your control due to where you live or your job. To find safer products for use at home check out the EWG.org. For everything else that’s where supplements and detoxification can help! Some supplements that you should consider are zinc, acetyl-L-carnitine, CoQ-10, lycopene, vitamin C, E, and B12. These all help boos the bodies natural ability to clear out oxidative stress (i.e. cellular damage) and give the body the nutrients it needs to build the best quality sperm possible. If you have been exposed to a lot of toxins through your workplace or home environment it may be a good idea to consider a detox protocol with a qualified practitioner. Some gentle things you can do on your own are making sure that your digestion is working properly, support your liver’s ability to detox by eating plenty of dark green veggies, bitter tasting veggies, and beets. It’s also important to get outside and sweat. Typically, a sauna or hot baths are also a great way to detox but because sperm are especially vulnerable to heat it’s not a good idea to do these high heat practices while trying to conceive but getting out and sweating with exercise is a great way to help your body eliminate toxins.
While this post really only touches on the basics of male fertility it’s a great place to start. If you want to learn more about male fertility check out the Better Baby Book by Dave Asprey and Fueling Male Fertility by Lauren Manaker (both can be found on Amazon). As always if you have questions, I’m here to help drop them in the comments below or send me a message through the contact me page!