Source: Best Health Magazine, Summer 2008
Improving male fertility
Fertility talk tends to focus on women, yet guys are responsible for up to 50 percent of conception challenges. ‘It’s not as rare as people think,’ says Dr. Peter Chan, a urologist with the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal. A common reason is varicocele, in which the testicles develop blood-vessel problems that affect sperm production. The sperm’s DNA can be a problem. But men can help protect its potency. Quitting smoking is one way (smoking can reduce fertility by up to 75 percent); also avoid overheating in hot tubs or saunas. Here’s more fertility research to share with your man.
Protect him from air pollution. Car exhaust hurts sperm. A recent study ledy by Health Canada found that mice who were exposed to pollutants had 60 percent more sperm mutations after 10 weeks than mice who were breathing in HEPA-filtered air. Human studies also suggest that exhaust affects sperm quality and motility (its ability to move). So encourage him to drive with the windows closed, walk on side streets instead of main roads and stop idling the car engine.
Suggest he find a new spot for his laptop. Researchers at the State University of New York at Stony Brook measured the temperature of the scrotums of 29 men with laptops resting on their laps, and found it spiked 2.7ûC on average. It’s already been proven that too much warmth down there decreases male fertility. Luckily, there’s a simple solution to improve it: Use a desk.
Make love daily. Don’t avoid sex to build up his sperm count. A pilot study in Australia found that regular ejaculation through sex or masturbation reduces sperm’s DNA damage and improves sperm’s shape and motility. ‘For couples trying to conceive, daily sex near ovulation is better,’ says the study’s author Dr. David Greening, a reproductive medicine specialist with Sydney IVF. What does this mean for couples trying to conceive? Just do it.
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