Men make new sperm every day and those sperm come to fruition withing 72 days. This is good news for men who want to give their fertility a boost, because it means that within three months they can

make a big difference to the reproductive health. For more detailed information it is worth checking out our book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility where Dr. David and I give specific advice to men based on their fertility type. Briefly though, here are five simple things men can do that have a big impact on sperm quality and quantity.

1. Keep them cool

It’s important that the testicles are 1- 2 degrees cooler than the rest of the body and so taking hot baths or sitting with a lap top on your knee can be contributing to diminished fertility. Likewise men who sit at a desk all day can become overheated so at the YinOva Center we advise them to get up a move around once an hour to air off their private parts.

2. Eat right

You will find more information in Making Babies about how to eat right for your fertility type but all men can benefit from eating a wide range of colorful fruits and vegetable, whole grains and lean protein. Poor intake of vitamin C and E and the minerals zinc and selenium can affect sperm quality and would-be fathers with borderline sperm counts might want to consider supplementation. Finnish men have some of the highest sperm counts in the world which is thought to be due to the amount of oily fish they eat. For this reason at the YinOva Center we suggest men use a fish oil/omega-3 supplement.

3. Limit your exposure to toxic chemicals.

In Making Babies we discuss how the average sperm count for American men has plummeted over the past few decades. Dr. David and I believe that environmental toxins and the main reason and so advise men to eat as much whole food as possible and to avoid processed foods. I have blogged about this here.

4. Drop some bad habits

Smoking, whilst it does not reduce sperm count, does damage sperm DNA which can lead to a greater chance of miscarriage. Excessive alcohol use can affect hormone levels and lead to atrophy of the semeniferous tubules, loss of sperm cells, and an increase in abnormal sperm. Marijuana use has been shown to reduce sperm and semen volume. If you need help dropping unhealthy habits come on in to the YinOva Center. We are happy to support you.

5. Get checked out for hidden infections.

Infections such as chlamydia or urea plasma can impair fertility and also lead to early miscarriages. Men should ask their doctors for a semen culture to make sure that they are not infected.

In our book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility Dr. David and I discuss the alarming fact that male sperm counts have halved since our grandfather’s generation. My patients are shocked when I tell them this and their next question is usually, “why?”. I always answer that it’s hard to lay the blame on one thing, but that our generation has been exposed to the kind of chemical cocktail that would have been inconceivable in our grandparent’s time.

So it was with some interest that I read a new report, authored by Professor Richard Sharpe, a reproductive biologist of the Medical Research Council in the UK, linking the use of chemicals found in food, cosmetics and cleaning products to an increased risk of birth defects, testicular cancer and infertility among unborn boys. You can read about this report on the BBC website here or download a PDF of the actual report here. Professor Sharpe, a reproductive biologist, discusses the threat to baby boys of chemicals that block the action of the male sex hormone testosterone, or mimic the female sex hormone estrogen, which can “feminize” male infants whilst still in the womb. He points out that chemicals that are harmless on their own may be having a cumulative effect that is more sinister.

There is no doubt that male reproductive health is deteriorating – more male babies are being born with birth defects effecting their penises, testicular cancer is on the rise and sperm counts are dropping. Collectively these symptoms are known as Testicular Dysgenesis Syndrome, which is a term used to describe the disruption of testosterone in boys. The report examines animal studies that link testosterone-disrupting chemicals to de-masculinization in wildlife.

So what can we do? It would seem that pregnant women are mostly at risk in weeks 8 – 10 of their pregnancies but it makes sense to avoid environmental toxins throughout pregnancy and if possible in the period before conception. As Dr. Sharpe told the Daily Mail. “You can’t do anything about chemicals in the environment but you can control what you expose a baby to through your lifestyle choices. Because we don’t know the complete list of chemicals that may be hormone disrupters, and we don’t know how they interact, we can’t point a finger at an individual chemical. The message is to avoid them, just as you should avoid alcohol and drugs.”

So at the YinOva Center here is the advice we give out Moms-to-be

• Avoid processed foods where possible. That means limiting foods that have been made in a factory.
• Eat as much organic food as your budget will allow. Patients often tell me that the cost of eating organic is what puts them off and I understand this from my own experience. In this YinOva blog entry from last year, I described how, in my own family, we cut down on food wastage in order to be able to afford to eat better quality food.
• Switch your deodorant to one that is made from natural ingredients. After trying quite a few natural deodorants, with mixed results, we decided we really like this one which you can get on Amazon – Alvera Aloe Based Roll-On Deodorant.
• Use natural soaps and cosmetic products. Tom’s of Maine is a great brand as is Kiss My Face. When I was looking for a good natural toothpaste I tried many brands and settled on the Triple Action Aloe Vera Toothpaste by Kiss My Face for it’s minty taste and clean feel.
• Each American family uses about 40lbs of toxic cleaning products every year. This site has some good advice about making your own non-toxic cleaning kit. In my own house I’ve been impressed with how much cleaning can be accomplished with vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice.
• Don’t panic! I know how overwhelming information like this can be and really all we can do is our best. There is no need to obsessively avoid every chemical out there. Just cut down the chemical load you are exposed to.

When women come to The YinOva Center for fertility treatment we always ask if their partners have had a semen analysis. Women who are not getting pregnant often assume that the problem lies with them and many are surprised to find out that for 40% of infertile couples the problem is male factor.
The semen analysis measures a number of aspects of male fertility

• Semen Count – Anything over 20 million sperm per milliliter is considered normal.
• Morphology – This measure the shape of the sperm. A sample is considered normal if more than 30% of the sperm are a regular shape. But some labs assess morphology differently so its important to consult your doctor on what is normal
• Motility – This looks at whether the sperm can swim and are able to move forward. A sample where more than 60% of the sperm have a good forward motion is considered normal.
• Volume. This measures the semen volume with any measurement between 1 ml and 6.5 mls being considered normal.
• Liquefaction – When semen is first produced it has a gel-like consistency. This gel is formed by proteins from the seminal vesicles which are broken up as the semen becomes more liquid. It normally takes less than 20 minutes for a semen sample to change from a gel to a liquid. An abnormally long liquefaction time may indicate an infection.
• Other – the test may also look for white blood cells that may indicate an infection, the PH of the sample and fructose levels.

The good news for men is that they make new sperm every 72 days and so they can affect their fertility quite quickly by making lifestyle adjustments. However it is also important that they see an MD to make sure that there are no underlying hormonal or structural problems that are affecting their reproductive ability. At The YinOva Center we are big fans of Dr Harry Fisch who is a Professor of Clinical Urology at Columbia University and the author of two books on male reproduction The Male Biological Clock: The Startling News About Aging, Sexuality, and Fertility in Men and Size Matters: The Hard Facts About Male Sexuality That Every Woman Should Know. Size Matters, his latest book, is a light-hearted guide to male sexuality written for women. It is a big favorite in The YinOva Center waiting room! A Urologist, like Dr Fisch, will look for and correct medical problems that are affecting semen quality.

Here at The YinOva Center our role is to offer gentle, complementary solutions that work hand-in-hand with your doctor’s advice.

• Acupuncture – Several credible studies such as this one and this one have shown that regular acupuncture treatment can have an impact on semen quality.
• Herbal Medicine – Here at The YinOva Center we find that Chinese herbs are very helpful in improving all aspects of sperm quality. Our experience is born out in studies such as this one. We prescribe our herbs in individual formulas which contain about 15 herbs. Each formula is prescribed individually and tailored to your specific needs.
• Diet – We encourage all our patients to eat as much organic, unprocessed food as possible but this is particularly important for men trying to conceive because repeated studies have shown that environmental toxins have a negative impact on sperm quality and count. As many of you know sperm counts have decreased dramatically in all men over the last 50 years which can be attributed to the huge amount of toxic chemicals we all take in these days.
• Drugs and alcohol – Smoking, whilst it does not reduce sperm count, does damage sperm DNA which can lead to a greater chance of miscarriage. Excessive alcohol use can affect hormone levels and lead to atrophy of the semeniferous tubules, loss of sperm cells, and an increase in abnormal sperm. Marijuana use has been shown to reduce sperm count and semen volume. If you need help dropping unhealthy habits just ask us
• Weight – Being overweight affects sperm count and sperm motility as this study shows. From research it would seem that even men who are a only a little overweight have reduced fertility and men who are obese have a greater chance of being infertile. We are happy to help you meet your weight loss goals so please ask. You’ll find us an unjudgmental lot when it comes to weight and we are happy to share with you what has worked for us.
• Ask us about nutritional supplements. The antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamins C and E can increase sperm count and motility. In fact, studies show that large doses of vitamin C can actually reverse some cases of male infertility. We recommend Vitamin C, 1000 mg each day, as well Vitamin E 600 IU , beta-Carotene (provitamin A) 2000 IU 15 Mg and Zinc 30 mg, which may also help increase sperm count. A B Complex supplement can help balance testosterone and LH/FSH secretions. Selenium 100 mcg deficiency causes fragile sperm with easily broken tails. Semen is high in selenium so it must be replenished regularly. Selenium is toxic in large doses so don’t take more than 200 mcg day, we recommend 100mcg. One double-blind trial found that sperm counts doubled in previously infertile men after supplementation with selenium. CO-Q-10 50mg a day has been shown to increase sperm counts. An Italian study found that 2 gms a day of L-Carnitene for three months dramatically improved sperm counts and mobility. L-Arginine has shown good results in studies on both sperm counts and motility we recommend 2 -4 gm.
• Stay Cool – sperm develop best in cool surroundings and there is plenty of research implicating everything from hot baths to laptop computers in lowered sperm counts.

So, in short, what is our YinOva Center advice for men trying to conceive?

• Get a semen analysis.
• Consult a urologist, like Dr Fisch, if your semen analysis shows that you have a problem.
• Stop smoking. Try our suggestions in this article, which may help
• Limit your alcohol consumption to 5 units a week.
• Come on in for regular acupuncture.
• Ask us for a specifically tailored herbal formula.
• Eat as much organic, unprocessed food as you can.
• Drop a few pounds if you need to.
• Avoid heating up your testicles.
• Find ways to limit your stress.
• Don’t do drugs.
• Take a good Multivitamin.
• Get out and enjoy the sunshine – exposure to sunshine has been shown to increase testosterone levels.

Related Articles on The YinOva Blog:
Does Soy Affect Sperm Count

Illustration
© Kts | Dreamstime.com

Recently patients have been asking me about this study which was based on research at The Harvard School of Public Health and published in the journal Human Reproduction. It seems to suggest that men who eat a lot of soy are more likely to have a low sperm count. It also showed that overweight men were the most likely to be affected by soy consumption.

The researchers point out that their findings are preliminary and it is too early to say why soy has this effect. However they think that the likely culprits are the phytoestrogens that soy contains. We already know that overweight men have higher estrogen levels which is presumably why they are more affected by the phytoestrogens in soy.

Critics of this study make the point that it looked at men who were already visiting a fertility clinic rather than at men in the general population and that Asian men have been eating lots of soy for generations without any ill effects.

At The YinOva Center we suggest that men, who are trying to conceive, limit their soy to two servings a week. We also suggest switching to fermented soy products, such as miso, tempeh, soy sauce or tamari, which seem to be more beneficial. This is because soy contains phytic acid which can block the absorption of some minerals. Phytic acid is neutralized during the process of fermentation. Consuming fermented soy is also good for digestion because it recolonizes the friendly bacteria in the large intestine.

Photograph
© Igor Dutina | Dreamstime.com