Understanding Male Fertility: What Every Man Should Know

There has been a global decline in fertility rates worldwide in the last 40 years from 4.84 to 2.23. Humans are eventually becoming more and more infertile.

Talking about fertility, Male fertility is still quite an untouched subject. Men are quite reluctant to speak and discuss their sexual health with other people, including their partners and medical professionals. Addressing and acknowledging issues with their fertility is also considered shameful for most men. Let’s understand what needs to be discussed around male fertility, why it’s important, and how to diagnose and prevent it.

Why is Sperm Health Important?

Did you know that the male body continuously produces sperm from puberty until death? The average time for the whole sperm-making process is over 2 months. Your sperm health is influenced by a lot of lifestyle, environmental, and medical factors.?

Sperm health is important when it comes to conception. A healthy semen refers to a sperm count between 40 and 300 million, along with optimum sperm motility and quality required to fertilize the female egg. Weak sperm may lead to male infertility problems, and if undiagnosed, it causes trouble conceiving physical and mental distress for men and their partners.

Hence, it is crucial to keep a check on your sperm health and avoid any habits or practices that might lead to lower sperm health.

Is Male Infertility on the Rise?

Men may not think much about fertility and sperm health until they encounter problems while conceiving. Male infertility is a big problem these days, with around 7% of the total male population experiencing some infertility issues in their lifetime.?

For the past 40 years, males have seen a sharp decline in fertility; just about 1 in 20 men face infertility issues, and most of them are unaware or ignorant of this problem. About 40-50% of all infertility problems in couples arise from men, but getting diagnosed with infertility is still considered to be a shameful notion for most men.

At such an alarming rate, this problem poses serious threats and needs to be addressed immediately. Men need to get educated on male fertility, and the stigma around infertility, especially male infertility, should be demolished.

Infertility should be treated just like any other medical condition and not like a social taboo.

What are the Risk factors for Male Infertility?

Some lifestyle habits and medical conditions may lead men toward infertility. It is important to know and avoid all such risk factors to prevent infertility problems. Here are some common risk factors:

Smoking

Cigarette smoke contains more than 7000 chemical substances, including various carcinogens. Research shows that smoking has adverse effects on male reproductive and overall health. It increases the risk of Leukocytospermia, causing an excess of white blood cells in the sperm. An average of 48% leukocyte increase is seen in smokers’ sperm as compared to non-smokers.??

Smoking can also lead to erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation problems, and other reproductive issues contributing to male infertility. Smokers going through ART procedures such as ICSI treatment have a live birth rate of 7.1%? compared to 21.1% in non-smokers.

Hence, males need to avoid or quit smoking, considering the multitude of health and fertility risks.

Obesity

Male obesity is known to cause several fertility problems. Research shows that obese men have decreased testosterone levels, while a reported surge in estrogen levels. These hormonal imbalances cause the male body to produce a low amount of sperm, and their quality is also affected.

Study reveals that obese men are 42% more likely to have a low sperm count and 81% more likely to have no sperm while ejaculating compared to people with a normal BMI.

This makes obesity a big risk factor for male infertility, and men need to maintain a healthy BMI to prevent infertility.

Exposure to Toxins

Chemicals and toxins like pesticides, insecticides, heavy metals, plasticizers, etc., are responsible for reducing male fertility and causing reproductive disorders.

According to various studies, men with lower sperm counts are seen to have high amounts of environmental toxicants like lead and cadmium.

Other chemicals like Bisphenol A, Phthalates, Atrazine, etc, are also known to cause a lower sperm count.

It is important to avoid all exposure to these harmful toxins in the environment.

Genetic Disorders

Genetic disorders account for almost 2 to 8% of all male infertility problems. Disorders like Spermatogenesis, azoospermia , Klinefelter syndrome, and cystic fibrosis are some of the common genetic disorders responsible for male infertility problems.

Spermatogenesis is a condition that disrupts the body’s ability to produce healthy sperm.

Klinefelter syndrome is when the individual is born with an extra X chromosome. This condition causes a failure of the testicles to produce testosterone. It also results in an increased estrogen level in males, leading to enlargement of breasts and other characteristics.

Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol has a negative effect on male fertility. Even a decent amount of alcohol consumption can reduce sperm health and cause a decreased libido.

Study shows that men who drank more than 40 drinks a week had a 33% lower sperm concentration than those who consumed 0-5 drinks a week.

Long-term alcohol use has also been linked to testicular atrophy, reduced levels of gonadotropin, and other reproductive problems.

It is suggested to limit or stop alcohol consumption to prevent male infertility.

Ways to Boost Male Fertility

Male fertility is a serious issue, and men should take all steps necessary to maintain and improve their fertility. Here are some ways you can boost your fertility:

Regular Exercise

Regular exercise and increased physical activity have increased testosterone levels and overall male fertility. Study shows that medium to high-intensity exercise can be beneficial for sperm health and regeneration.

Vitamin C intake

Vitamin C is an excellent supplement to increase sperm health and overall male fertility. A study has shown that infertile men who took Vitamin C supplements twice a day every month had an increased sperm motility by 92% and sperm count by almost 100%. Hence, this supplement should be included in your diet to boost fertility.

Reduce Stress

Stress can be linked to several psychological and physical sexual disorders. It is also reported to result in a lower sperm quality. This is due to the release of stress hormones that disrupt the balance of the reproductive hormones, leading to reduced fertility.?

Minimizing stress levels can help you have a better libido and sperm quality.

D-Aspartic acid Supplements

D-Aspartic acid is present in several glands in the body, including the testicles. Taking aspartic acid supplements can increase testosterone levels.

A study has shown that infertile males taking D aspartic acid supplements for 3 months had 60% increased testosterone levels and sperm motility by 100%.?

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is a herb used for medicinal purposes in India since ancient times. Research shows that this herb is also beneficial for increasing testosterone levels and sperm health. A study where males with low sperm count were given ashwagandha roots for three months showed a 153% increase in sperm count and a 57% increase in sperm motility.

Can Medical Assistance Be Helpful?

If you are a male suffering from low sperm count, infertility issues, or other reproductive problems, you may seek medical help. Medical sciences have enormously advanced and have helped millions of people suffering from different reproductive problems.

Treatments may include medications & supplementation, physiotherapy, counseling therapy, surgery, and ART procedures to address different physical and psychological sexual disorders.

ART procedures involve various treatments to help infertile couples conceive. IVF, a type of ART treatment, has helped millions of people achieve their parenthood dreams.?

If you have infertility but are looking for the joy of parenthood, you should consider Crysta IVF, one of the leading Fertility centers in India . So don’t let your dreams wait; book a consultation with us today!