Men's Fertility

When it comes to trying to conceive it's breaks down to a 50/50 split between the male and female partner and it's much more beyond just the egg + sperm, it's overall health, diet, genetics, epigenetics, lifestyle exposures, stress and more.

Did you know: Men's overall health and sperm health have a direct impact on certain pregnancy risks for mom, like recurrent loss, gestational diabetes, and pre-eclampsia and of course long term health outcomes in their offspring.

One study found sperm were able to deliver signals to female reproductive tissue increasing chances of conception. Also, the development of the placenta is actually determined by paternal genes more than maternal genes (imprinting).

The Facts

• Male factor infertility/subfertility accounts for 30% of all infertility cases while another 30% is female factor, and the rest is either both or unknown causes

• In the last 50 years sperm concentration has dropped by 52% and sperm counts have dropped by 63%

• Testosterone levels in men are also on a steady decline (fun fact: I have only seen 2 normal testosterone levels in my male clients over the last 2 years)

• Supplementing with Testosterone (TRT) can bring sperm count to 0 and should never be used when TTC

• It takes about 74 days to fully generate new sperm (a similar timeline for eggs maturing for women)

Where should men start to support their fertility?

The good news is that there is so much we can do to support male fertility, and the majority of interventions overlap for BOTH partners.

This means you can make healthy and sustainable changes together for better overall health, longevity and fertility. Foundational changes are always the most impactful.

Diet

We have data to prove that the standard American diet (think added sugar, fried foods, refined grains) is associated with poor sperm quality (lower count/concentration, reduced motility).

However, the Mediterranean style diet has been shown to lead to improvements in sperm quality. This diet consists of prioritizing consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and seafood. 

I encourage my clients to "eat the rainbow!" Vegetables and fruits are an excellent source of antioxidants and vitamins that are required for the production of quality sperm. Aim to eat 5 different colored fruits and veggies every single day. Each color has different antioxidants, also the more intense the color the more phytonutrients.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle factors that cause oxidative damage are thought to contribute ~80% of all cases of male infertility.

It's important to maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly, lower stress, and decrease toxin exposure. 

There are studies that have shown, those that engage in more physical activity have increased progressive motility. Active men also showed higher levels of testosterone (hormone that drives the male reproductive system).

It's also important to focus on reducing stress as stress can significantly lower testosterone. Eating a healthy diet, exercising, getting enough sleep, finding ways to relax (i.e. meditation, walks, yoga, etc) are all great ways to help lower stress.

Environment

Toxins negatively impact sperm health. Exposure to common toxins are twice as prevalent among infertile men as they are among fertile men. 

Some items you should consider swapping:

• Household items: air fresheners, cleaning solutions, cookware, laundry detergent, candles, etc

• Personal care items: hair/body care, deodorant, cologne etc

• Organic produce: Eating organic reduces the amount of chemicals in your diet (we are seeing more and more research linking specific chemicals in our food, water and environment to sperm damage and male fertility struggles)

• Water filters: A good quality water filter can reduce many contaminants found in tap water that negatively affect fertility.

Testing 

Lab testing is a great way to get a picture of your overall health and fertility. A semen analysis will test sperm parameters allowing you to identify potential red flags.

Consider asking your medical provider for a semen analysis if it's covered by insurance. If you'd rather do a semen analysis in the comfort of your own home, consider Fellow or Give Legacy.

Give Legacy is the only at home testing company that also measures DNA damage (something your doctor's office will likely NOT measure). This is important because DNA damage to sperm is one of the most common causes of male factor fertility issues but rarely gets measured.

Hormone testing is also very helpful for men's fertility. We recommend the DUTCH hormone test (we do these frequently in our practice for male clients)

Supplementation

Supplementing with the right nutrients and botanicals along with a healthy diet can go FAR when it comes to male fertility, we see it all of the time. Work with a qualified provider to find a regimen that's right for you (like us!)

Optimal Sperm Parameters

There are many factors involved in male fertility. Some of these factors are sperm count (number of sperm in entire semen sample), sperm concentration (number of sperm per unit volume), sperm motility (ability of sperm to move through the female reproductive system), sperm morphology (sperm structure or shape), among others. The chart below shows our optimal vs conventional medicine's "normal" ranges for specific sperm parameters.