Male fertility. It often seems that male fertility gets the short end of the stick when it comes to “fertility publicity,” since most of the time, we mostly only hear about women, their fertility issues, their fertility struggles, and remedies and treatments for women to deal with their problems. Claim Your 20 Free Pregnancy Tests – Click Here
However, men’s fertility issues do not get nearly enough focus, and that’s a shame. For example, most people do not realize that up to one third of all fertility related problems can be attributed to a male fertility related issue.
Up to 1/3 of all fertility problems are due to male fertility issues.
Add to that the fact that another one third of all fertility related issues are due to a combination of a problem with both male and female fertility issues.
It’s clear to see that male fertility is just as important as female fertility, and it is unfortunate that male fertility doesn’t get as much attention. However, we know that men who are trying to start a family care just as much about their fertility health as their female counterparts.
That is why we are going to focus today on some of the best things that men can do to naturally increase their fertility.
Healthy Weight
Healthy Diet
Regular Exercise
Minimize Stress
Take Multi-vitamins
Tribulus
Fenugreek
Maca root
Quit Smoking, Drugs, Alcohol
Keep Cool
Minimize chemicals
Of course, it was only obvious that weight was going to be mentioned as a way to improve fertility. The truth of the matter is, weight affects all of our body processes, and men who are overweight often have lower sperm counts or poor sperm health when compared to men who have an optimal BMI, or Body Mass Index.
Men who are overweight often have lower levels of testosterone. Men who are overweight often also have hormonal imbalance issues that can cause them to have sexual desire or performance problems, which can translate to a hard time getting pregnant.
Add to that the fact that men who are overweight or have a high Body Mass Index can also have other weight-related health issues that might make it harder to get pregnant. While weight is a very important factor when it comes to male fertility, it also ties right in with diet and exercise, which we are going to talk about next.
Eating a well balanced and healthy diet is of the utmost importance for all of us, but even more so for men and women who are concerned about their fertility. Eating a healthy diet doesn’t just give us more energy, or help us lose weight, it does so much more.
Eating right makes sure that we are getting all of the required vitamins, minerals and nutrients that our bodies need for all of the most vital processes. And, you guessed it, one of those processes is fertility.
If a man is not getting, for example, enough folic acid in his diet, he might be at risk of having abnormal sperm or sperm with chromosomal abnormalities.
Vitamin C, for example, helps with sperm motility, and makes sure that the sperm are not clumping together. Another important nutrient is Vitamin B12, which helps to improve both sperm count and sperm motility. Men who are concerned about their diets should make sure that they are eating a wide variety of healthy foods, including as many organic, fresh fruits and veggies as possible. Incorporating lean meats and proteins into the diet will also help to ensure proper nutrition.
For men to get a well balanced diet they should also include whole grains like whole wheat bread and brown rice, and full fat dairy products as well.
Things that should be excluded when men are trying to conceive include the obvious culprits, like fast food, sugary sweets and snacks, and unhealthy restaurant food. These things can really do a number on a person’s overall health, not to mention fertility.
We all know that exercise is super important when it comes to things like losing weight and staying in good physical shape. However, for men who are trying to improve their fertility, exercise takes on even more importance.
First of all, men who exercise regularly are more likely to have improved testosterone levels. Studies have shown that men who exercise on a regular basis have overall levels of higher testosterone and also healthier sperm than men who do not exercise.
Now, that is a reason not to be a couch potato!
When you add to that the fact that men who exercise and pay attention to their physical fitness also have lower stress levels, which have been shown to improve fertility as well, getting proper physical exercise really is a no brainer!
As we touched on a little bit in the previous tip, relieving stress and living as much of a stress free life as possible is really important when it comes to fertility in men.
As many of us already know, the hormone cortisol is responsible for our reactions to stress, and it is often referred to as the stress hormone. It is the hormone that the body releases more of when we are feeling stressed, and less of when we are feeling calm and relaxed.
The thing that most men do not know, however, is when those cortisol levels go up, testosterone levels also, in turn, go down.
This means that for men who are under a lot of stress in their day to day lives, those testosterone levels are constantly fluctuating, and that can be detrimental to fertility.
Lots of different methods can be utilized, however, in order to minimize stress. These include getting plenty of sleep, getting plenty of exercise, eating healthy, minimizing exposure to stressful situations and environments, and finding ways to relieve stress such as mediation, spending time in nature, or talking to a counselor or friend.
Since most men don’t always get the right levels of vitamins, nutrients and minerals in their daily diets, it can be really hard to keep fertility at peak levels just by food sources alone.
This is where daily vitamin supplements can come in handy.
Choosing a good daily vitamin is key to men’s fertility and can really boost overall health. Some of the most important nutrients to look for when choosing a supplement include one that includes Vitamin C, Zinc, Arginine, Chromium, CoQ10, Vitamin B12, Selenium, and Essential Fatty Acids like Omega 3’s.
These are the vitamins, minerals and nutrients that are key to keeping men healthy and keeping their sperm healthy as well. Doctors can help men to pick out a good quality supplement and decide if one multivitamin is enough, or if men might need multiple supplements to cover all of their needs.
Much like women, some men find great results when using all natural herbal supplements to help boost their fertility. These herbal medicine supplements are great because they are all natural, and have been around for hundreds of years. Because of that, they are usually considered safe to use, and there are a ton of different herbal supplements out there that can help men to boost their fertility.
For example, the herbal supplement Tribulus can help to improve sexual function and sex drive in men.
Fenugreek is another herbal supplement that can help to improve testosterone levels, as well as help with weight loss. It is imperative to take the fenugreek in low doses, and only continue its intake for up to 3 months, as up to 3 months’ studies have shown a marked improvement in sperm count, motility, and normality. However by month 4, the effect seems to fall dramatically.
Maca Root, which is an herbal supplement also popular for female fertility, is great for male fertility as well, is said to improve overall sexual health and well being.
In men, Maca Root is said to also improve sperm counts, sperm motility, and testosterone levels as well, making it one of the most powerful fertility herbs in existence.
There are many other popular fertility herbs out there and men who do their research can find a ton of great information out there on using these supplements to help boost their fertility.
As you might be able to guess, illegal drugs have been known to harm the male reproductive system as a whole. Drugs, alcohol and even cigarettes have a harmful effect on sperm count, sperm quality and sperm motility as a whole.
Some of these can even reduce testosterone levels, inhibit sexual function and lower sexual desire as well.
Of course, it’s never a good idea to engage in the use of drugs, alcohol or smoking cigarettes, but this is especially true for men who are trying to conceive a baby with their partner, as the damage can be magnified during this time.
Overheating the testicles can cause lower sperm counts in men, studies show. This means that men who are interested in becoming dads should do whatever it takes to make sure that this isn’t an issue.
Ways to help with this include staying away from hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms and hot baths, since all of these can raise the temperature of the testicles and can kill sperm.
No hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, biker shorts, or tight underwear briefs.
Tight clothing can also really hurt sperm counts as well, so biking shorts, brief style underwear, or other tight pants should be avoided. Men should switch to breathable boxers or boxer briefs while trying to conceive, and should stick to short showers only in order to keep things from, ahem, overheating down below.
Though if you are trying specifically to get pregnant with a girl, studies show that the excessive heat will kill off the more fragile boy sperm, leaving the heartier girl sperm to fertilize the egg.
Well, this one, my friends, is a doozie.
We all know that we are exposed to different chemicals, whether it be in the cars we drive, the plastic we drink out of, the cans our foods come in, the cleaners we use, the carpet we walk on, the paint on our walls, etc. The truth is that chemicals are everywhere and there really isn’t too awful much that we can do about it.
What IS shocking, however, is that compared to men’s sperm from only 50 years ago, men today have about HALF of the sperm count and a severely reduced sperm quality in comparison.
This just goes to show that we are exposed today to so many more chemicals than we were in years past. While it is pretty much impossible to get out of being around chemicals all together, there are a few things that we can do to minimize our exposure to chemicals.
First of all, avoiding animal products that are high in fat is a good place to start. This is because these products have usually been exposed to lots of hormones and antibiotics, which are in turn, just adding chemicals back into our bodies.
Another thing that can help reduce chemical exposure is staying away from plastic containers when packaging or purchasing foods. Chlorinated tap water can also contain lots of chemicals, as can synthetic deodorants and soaps. When it comes to foods, grilled foods used with charcoal can offer lots of chemical exposure as well.
The fact of the matter is that chemicals are all around us, and it’s going to be very difficult for most of use to find a way to be rid of these chemicals. In this case, we all just have to try our very best to avoid the ones that we can help. We will never be able to get rid of all chemicals in our lives, but we can at least limit our exposure, and try to do whatever we can to improve fertility.
While there are tons of different things that men can do to take control of their fertility naturally, sometimes, there are things that will just be beyond a man’s control. That really is unfortunate, but it really is just the way it is.
The fact of the matter is that sometimes, the problem isn’t something that men can control themselves. For example, men might have an actual problem with the makeup of their sperm itself, or a problem with the varicocele (the dilated veins in the scrotum).
This can make it literally impossible for a man to get his partner pregnant, even if he does everything right. Sometimes, men will actually have to visit their doctor to find out if there is a medical condition that might be contributing to her fertility problems.
While there are many things that men can do to improve their own fertility, we do have to keep in mind that sometimes there are situations in which men just have to see a doctor for professional advice.
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