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Often times, when we think about fertility, we are overly focused on female fertility. Most articles will tell you all about tracking your ovulation, making sure to take a prenatal vitamin, getting enough sleep and more tips to help women be at their fertile best. However, we often ignore the male side of getting pregnant. Claim Your 20 Free Pregnancy Tests – Click Here
The truth of the matter is that guys are just as important as women when it comes to fertility. It’s super important for us to focus on sperm health as well as overall male fertility in general. It’s just as important as female fertility health, and it’s definitely something that we need to be more aware of when we are trying to conceive.
This article is going to cover some ways that guys can improve their sperm health and in turn, their overall fertility levels.
Exercise is actually key to male fertility. It’s important that men keep their weight at a healthy level, since being overweight or underweight can actually hurt sperm production as a whole. Getting plenty of exercise is important, since exercise can increase testosterone production in men.
However, excessive exercise can actually have the opposite affect, and can deplete vitamins and hormones in the body. This is why it is really important to make sure your guy is getting appropriate amounts of exercise when you are trying to conceive.
Smoking is detrimental to nearly all body processes, so it’s no surprise that smoking is damaging to sperm as well. If your guy smokes, it’s super important that he quits while you are trying to conceive.
Smoking can not only damage sperm count, but can actually change the shape and size of sperm as well. It is super important to stay away from smoking cigarettes and marijuana as well if you and your guy are trying to conceive.
Many people do not understand that when the testicles get overheated, it can actually kill sperm. For this reason, it’s important that your guy avoid really tight clothes, like brief style underwear and biking shorts. These can cause the testicles to become overheated and can actually kill or damage sperm. The same thing goes for hot tubs, hot baths, saunas and steam rooms.
Trying to avoid these can really go a long way towards preventing the testicles from getting overheating. Just keep these things in mind if your guy participates in any activities that might cause overheating of his man parts.
Stress can really take a toll on lots of our body’s processes, so if you can combat and relieve stress, it can go a long way towards helping with fertility. This is true for both men and women, so keep it in mind for your guy as well.
Too much stress can actually damage sperm and inhibit sperm production. So make sure that your guy takes time to destress, exercise, get plenty of sleep, and spend time with loved ones to keep stress levels low.
Yes, we all know that folic acid is super important for women who are trying to conceive and for women who are already pregnant. However, most people do not realize that folic acid/folate is just as important for men who are trying to conceive as well.
Actually, studies show that men who have lower levels of folate have chromosomal abnormalities with their sperm. Usually, it’s around 400 milligrams of folic acid a day that is recommended for men who are trying to conceive. You can usually get this from a daily multivitamin, or from food sources such as leafy greens, whole grains and citrus fruits.
While it is definitely a good idea for women to take prenatal vitamins while they are trying to conceive, it’s a super great idea for men to do something to boost their fertility as well. Men can take prenatal vitamins too, if they would like to, or they can opt for a daily men’s multivitamin. These vitamins can help men to bridge any nutritional gaps that they might have in their diets and can also help to boost overall health and fertility.
Taking a good quality daily vitamin is a good idea even if you are not trying to conceive, so definitely make this a priority for both you and your guy. There are benefits for both men and women to taking a daily vitamin supplement that extend well beyond any fertility or reproductive benefits.
Much like using marijuana or smoking while trying to conceive, drinking alcohol while trying to have a baby can really be damaging to sperm. Studies show that drinking alcohol can really slow down sperm’s motility rate, which is how quickly the sperm move to the egg.
Alcohol also has a tendency to reduce sperm rate and also can cause sperm abnormalities in some cases. Plus, sometimes alcohol can reduce a man’s ability to, ahem, perform in sexual situations, so it’s a good idea to make sure to stay away from it while trying to conceive. Of course, the same is also true for women, since alcohol can really make it harder for women to conceive as well, and can cause problems with a pregnancy if a woman has a history of drinking when she does become pregnant.
If your guy works in an environment that has a lot of different chemicals, such as a factory, an auto mechanic shop or paint store, etc, or similar, it is a good idea for men to try to reduce their exposure to these chemicals while they are trying to conceive. This is because certain chemicals can have a damaging effect on sperm and on fertility as a whole.
If getting away from chemicals completely is not an option in your man’s line of work, make sure that he at least has proper ventilation when using chemicals and that he uses all safety precautions such as wearing a face mask and proper safety gear. It’s almost impossible to avoid chemical exposure as a whole, since different chemicals are almost everywhere, but you can try to reduce and minimize your exposure.
As we already know, diet is a big part of most all of our body’s processes, and fertility is no exception. Fertility is greatly increased in men who eat a healthy, well balanced diet. Likewise, men who overload on sugary snacks and sweets, fast foods, and other unhealthy choices can really see a decrease in their fertility.
For the best chances of improved fertility and overall health, men should opt for low fat dairy products, lean meats and proteins, fresh fruits and veggies, and whole grains. Eating plenty of good for you stuff will ensure maximum fertility and will help guys to be as healthy as possible. Definitely pay a lot of attention where diet is concerned for both you and your guy when you are trying to conceive.
Zinc is a mineral that is super important for male fertility. Now, it should be known that a zinc deficiency will not cause male infertility, but it can make getting pregnant take longer and make it more difficult to get pregnant. The body cannot store zinc on it’s own, so it is important to get enough from either a supplement or from food sources.
Increased levels of zinc have shown to be associated with increased sperm counts in men. Also, higher zinc levels are also responsible for better sperm motility and maturity. Zinc helps the sperm to fully develop and mature, which is key to getting it ready to fertilize the egg. Zinc also helps to prevent chromosomal defects in the sperm, which can lead to miscarriage or birth defects in babies.
While we touched on the importance of taking a multivitamin earlier in this article, we wanted to mention again how important it is for men to get enough Vitamin C while they are trying to conceive. Vitamin C contains important antioxidants which can help to counteract the harmful effects of free radicals in the body.
Also, some studies have shown that vitamin C can improve semen quality. Some studies showed an increased of more than 100% in sperm count in men who took vitamin C supplements. So, in a nutshell, just make sure that your guy is getting plenty of Vitamin C! You can get Vitamin C from a plain old daily vitamin, but your guy can also get plenty of it from food sources as well.
Did you know that some over the counter everyday lubricants can actually be sperm killers? It’s true. Many of the most popular lubricants on the market today actually contain spermicidal (sperm killing) ingredients. Other lubricants alter the pH of the vagina, making it harder for sperm to live.
If you use lube in your love making, definitely check to make sure that the lube you are choosing is not hurting your chances of conceiving. There are actually some new lubricant choices on the market now that are designed to be “sperm friendly”, so they will not damage sperm. One of these is a brand called “PreSeed,” if you are interested in checking it out.
Fenugreek is a very popular ancient herbal remedy that is used for a wide variety of medicinal uses. It just so happens that one of those uses is to improve male fertility. Studies have shown, in fact, that fenugreek supplements can help to improve testosterone levels in men who struggle with their levels. Other men reported improved overall sexual function, which can really be helpful if that is one of the issues that a man is facing in trying to conceive.
Definitely check out this herbal supplement and you can determine if it would be helpful for your man while you are trying to conceive. Many men find Fenugreek to be one of the most helpful and powerful herbal supplements for sexual health and reproductive well being.
Much like using Fenugreek, Maca Root is a popular herbal fertility remedy that many men report to be helpful on their journey to become fathers. For many years, maca root has been known to be a popular remedy for enhancing male sexual performance and also fertility as well.
Taking this herbal supplement for a three month period was also reported to help with increased sperm count and sperm motility as well. Maca root does not seem to affect hormone levels like testosterone in men, so its benefits were solely related to sperm counts and sperm improvements, so this is important to take note of.
In conclusion, it’s easy to see that there are so many things that men can be doing to boost their overall fertility. It’s not always up to the women, and men do have a responsibility to have an active role in their fertility as well. There are things that every guy can do in order to boost fertility and increase his overall sperm health.
There are even more things that we have not mentioned on this list that men can do to increase their fertility as well, so there is definitely no shortage of ideas.
If men are, for any reason, concerned about their overall fertility and sperm health, it may be a good idea to schedule an appointment with a doctor. A doctor can really help a man make a plan about his fertility and his overall health. If there are various tests that need to be done to see a closer look at, say, sperm count or sperm health, a doctor’s visit can be a good starting place to get these things done.
Definitely be supportive of your guy if he thinks that he needs to see a fertility doctor for a good look at his overall fertility health.
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