Men make sperm continuously from puberty to death so general lifestyle factors and health can have a very direct influence on sperm production. So what can a guy do to improve sperm quality?
Firstly, start young as men's sperm quality worsens with age and there is a slightly increased risk of autism, schizophrenia and dwarfism in the children born from older dads. Secondly, keep the testes cool, they are located outside of the body for a reason, so being active, wearing baggier pants and not sitting in a hot bath or sauna every night is wise. Then, stay slim as fatter men have worse sperm and lower success rates on an IVF program compared to slimmer men. Having just said that, there should be some caveats around moderation as serious cyclists (greater than 200km per week) may have poorer sperm.
Avoiding cigarettes and dope also improves sperm health. Too much alcohol is also detrimental to both sexual performance and sperm production and the recommended limits are 20 units per week.
Antioxidants may also benefit sperm and they can be found in brightly coloured fruit and veg such as berries, dark chocolate, red wine and nuts such as brazil nuts. There was a recent study showing that men who had a prudent diet consisting of fish, fruit,vegetables, legumes and whole grains had better sperm motility compared to men having a typical Western diet.
Bisphenol A found in soft plastics are also thought to be disruptive to the DNA in sperm so avoiding drinking out of BPA bottles is wise.
Frequent ejaculation is also great for sperm, definitely saving it up does not help.
There are also some commonly prescribed medications which may be detrimental to sperm such as hairloss medication, sulphasalazines, paroxetine, methotrexate and some blood pressure medications. Check with your doctor.
Next week I am planning to blog about supplements, which are good, bad or downright ugly.
Thanks,
Mary
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