About Male Fertility

Sometimes, getting pregnant is hard. As much as you try, things just don’t seem to want to work. It’s frustrating and at times, down right disheartening. When couples have trouble conceiving, more often than not, the woman will feel like something’s wrong with her. She’s the one that is trying to get pregnant, so all the attention inevitably turns to her. However, when you’re trying to conceive, don’t forget that men have just as important as a role. To increase your likelihood of conceiving a child, it’s important for both women and men to be healthy and fertile.

Most people already know what women need to do to stay healthy: don’t smoke, don’t drink, eat well, exercise, etc. The same is said for boosting male fertility. To make sure you’re creating the best environment for pregnancy, it’s important to focus on both male and female fertility. In this article, we’ll explore what you need to know about male fertility to increase your odds of conceiving.

General Information on Male Infertility

Before diving into the details, we wanted to go over a few pieces of general information on male infertility.

Symptoms of Male Infertility

If you’re struggling to conceive and have been struggling for a while, that will be the first sign of infertility. Sometimes, there are no other symptoms, other times there are. If you experience other symptoms, they usually present as sexual functioning problems, testicular pain or swelling, problems maintaining an erection, ejaculation issues, and small, firm testicles.

Causes of Male Infertility

The causes of male infertility are different for everyone. It is caused by different medical, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Read more about them here.

How to Boost Male Fertility

Sometimes, infertility means that you won’t be able to conceive a child naturally. It’s a devastating realization, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t have a baby. There are other options for you and your partner to explore.

If you’ve both been tested and are fertile, but still struggling, here are some great tips on how to boost male fertility.

See Your Doctor

Before going any further, schedule and appointment with your primary care physician. During your checkup, see where you are in terms of weight, stress, and discuss any current prescriptions you’re taking.

Both women and men alike should get a pre-conception checkup anyway, so starting here is a great way to ensure you’re given the best chance. Pre-conception checkups are a great way to get an overview of your current health and create a plan to optimize your fertility.

Review Prescriptions

During your doctor’s appointment, make sure you disclose any prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, or supplements you’re currently taking. There are certain medications that impact male fertility, some of them include tagamet, sulfasalazine, nitrofurantoin, and numerous types of steroids.

Do not stop taking any prescription medications without first consulting with your doctor.

Consider Your Environment

Where you work might be affecting your fertility. If you have ongoing exposure to dangerous chemicals, your sperm count will be lower than average. If you work with a laptop, keep it on a desk, not your lap. If you think that your work environment is causing fertility issues, look into some ways to reduce exposure and keep yourself safe.

Get Enough Sleep

Sleeping has a huge impact on your overall health and wellbeing. It comes as no surprise that sleep also greatly affects your fertility. In fact, according to a study done in 2019 at the Aarhus University in Denmark, early bedtimes—often correlated with longer, better quality sleep—were associated with improved sperm quality.

To boost your chances of getting pregnant, try getting better quality sleep by going to bed a little earlier and aim for 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Not maintaining a healthy weight has a lot of negative effects, including effects on sperm. Being underweight causes your body to reduce overall energy output and being overweight affects libido. Being overweight also affects the overall quality of your sperm.

To make sure you’re doing everything you can, try to maintain a healthy weight. As an added bonus exercising will give you energy, improve your mood, and works to de-stress your life.

Focus on Your Diet

Pair exercises with a healthy diet and you’ve got a recipe for success. Make sure you’re getting enough zinc, as some studies have shown that low sperm count correlates with zinc deficiencies. Aim for food like meat, mushrooms, eggs, whole grains, and seafood to boost your zinc levels or consider taking a supplement. Doctors also recommend eating foods that boost sperm count and are high in folic acid to promote healthy pregnancies and fetal development.

Avoid Alcohol

Excessive alcohol use has a lot of negative affects on your body, including your fertility. For both men and women, alcohol use decreases fertility. In men specifically, having too many drinks will result in low sperm quality and quanity.

If you’ve been drinking in excess, don’t worry. As long as you stop drinking as much, the fertility effects will be reversed and your sperm count and quality will return to normal. If you want to be a supportive partner, consider giving up alcohol with your wife during this time. She will love your commitment and appreciate the gesture.

Quit Smoking

Smoking is another vice that causes fertility rates to drop. Not only does your quality and quantity of sperm decrease, the motility—a sperm’s ability to swim—decreases too. This creates a difficult environment for couples trying to conceive. Again, as long as you quit smoking, the effects will be reversed.

Both smoking and being exposed to secondhand smoke is dangerous, so try to avoid being in places that allow smoking. Luckily, with many of the state laws in place, almost all restaurants, hotels, and shops have banned smoking indoors and near the entrance. If you and your partner currently smoke, there are a lot of resources and support available to help you quit.

Avoid Situations of Overheating

Testicles need a cool environment to thrive, so avoid any situations that will cause them to overheat. While you’re trying to conceive, limit the amount of saunas or Jacuzzis you enter and, if you prefer scalding showers, don’t stay in too long. We also recommend wearing loose fitting underwear, not keeping a laptop on your lap, and avoid cycling as your form of exercise.

Consider Taking a Supplement

Did you know that there are male fertility supplements available on the market? Talk to your doctor about adding one to your every day wellness routine. Just as women need to take prenatal vitamins for healthy, men should too.

While it might seem that there are a lot of things you need to do to boost male fertility, remember that they’re all healthy lifestyle changes. Not only are you increasing your chances of getting pregnant, you’re becoming healthier along the way. When you do conceive and have a baby, these healthy habits will be passed on to your children, so try to stay positive!

If you are still having trouble conceiving after making healthy lifestyle changes, consider getting tested. There are a number of different options for male fertility testing that will help you better understand what’s going on. As with everything health related, make sure you talk to your doctor about any questions, concerns, or before making any major lifestyle changes.

Conclusion

Conception isn’t all about women. Men play an equal role in conceiving a baby, so if you’re having trouble conceiving remember to consider both parties. We recommend tackling healthy lifestyle changes together for the best results! Not only will you be increasing your chances of conception, you’ll prepare yourselves for pregnancy and life with a newborn. Instilling healthy choices on your newborn is equally as important as staying healthy during pregnancy, so now is the best time to make these changes. If you have any questions, or want to get tested for fertility, schedule an appointment with your doctor today. For other great pregnancy tips, tricks, and stories, head over to Byram Healthcare today. Don’t forget, when you do conceive, new mothers are eligible to receive an electric breast pump covered by their insurance provider through the Affordable Care Act. Byram carries a wide selection, so you’ll be sure to find something that works for you.

If you have any stories or tips about struggling with fertility, both male and female, head over to our Facebook page today. When facing such a sensitive topic, it’s good to relate and connect with others who are facing similar situations.