In my recent Surrogacy update I spoke about my poor fertility results in terms of sperm morphology and how it drove me into a fit of self-pity and research. I definitely recommend that, if you haven't already, you go and read that article HERE to understand a bit more of how I came to do all this research. Of course, I am in no way a doctor and I can only simplify or paraphrase what I have learned so please, if you have any concerns about your own reproductive goods, go and see your GP!
Before I get into what I have learned, I should also note something I didn’t actually know before. Men generate millions of sperm every single day but what I didn’t know was that they actually take around 74 days to reach full maturity and become ready to fertilise an egg. Effectively that means that anything which happens within a 74-day window could have an impact on that ‘batch’ of sperm that arrives when the big moment is supposed to occur (that is probably the nicest way I can put it)
Heat was definitely one of the things I saw repeatedly. The reason the testicles hang from the body the way they do is to keep that area cooler. In order to perform correctly, semen needs to be cooler than our core body temperature. The ideal temperature for sperm production is actually around one or two degrees cooler than the body temperature. When the temperature rises, the sperm production declines. Even a slight temperature increase could have an effect. I even found one study in America where the results indicated that sperm production actually declines by around 30% in the summer months and therefore concludes that men would be more fertile in the winter months. Naturally, there is no absolute conclusive and concrete evidence of this but from that, it is clear there are a lot of situations that could therefore potentially cause an issue. Having very hot baths or going into hot tubs and steam rooms and doing so on a frequent basis could have an impact. I tend to alternate daily between a steaming hot bath and a shower, so straight away, there is a possibility those hot baths were overheating things downstairs.
There has also been a lot of discussion about the effect of tight underwear and tight-fitting trousers on sperm production. Again, these studies do not appear to be wholly conclusive, but that doesn’t mean they should be totally disregarded. I feel like in this situation it is just one of those things to bear in mind. I detest wearing loose fitting underwear, especially because they are downright uncomfortable as they don’t fit very well into slim or skinny fit jeans or trousers. Again, I tend to wear a snugger fit of trousers and always wear a brief or a boxer-brief for my underwear. The issue here is believed to be that in essence, wearing those tighter fits, you are forcing your testicles closer or even right up against your body and therefore, increasing the temperature for prolonged periods of time. When considering that 74-day window of sperm production I can certainly see some sense in the theory. Additionally, and in theory, even a holiday to a very hot country could have some form of impact, especially in a combination with other factors, such as if you have then been wearing tight fitting underwear and shorts… Whoops!
As with the human body in general, what we put into it can have massive implications and health impacts. Naturally, there have been studies into the foods and drinks that can cause issues and also the same for those that can promote good health throughout your body. I researched a lot into the foods and drinks that had been linked with sperm production and again, many of the studies I looked at were not necessarily conclusive but it is safe to say, that having a healthy diet does not have a negative impact.
Firstly, it is a known fact that alcohol has an effect on our bodies, especially when consumed in significant quantity. Anyone that knows me, knows I also love a good drink. I do love a good party and I had certainly been what a doctor would consider excessive with my alcohol consumption within the previous 74 days. While there have been no direct links between alcohol and sperm production, it goeswithout saying, in general, light alcohol consumption is fine but anything excessive can certainly have health impacts and therefore could impact sperm production. A few parties, the bottles of wine at a weekend and the drinking on holiday all add up… Whoops!
Caffeine is another of those substances that can have an effect on general health and therefore your sperm health, especially if it is in excessive amounts. I am not entirely sure what is deemed as excessive but I was probably drinking 4 or 5 cups of coffee or tea per day, so in theory, it could have an effect… Whoops!
Processed meats and a lack of fruit and vegetables has been the subject of numerous studies into our body health. It goes without saying that if you don’t eat reasonably, it will have an effect on your health. I wouldn’t say that I have a particular lack of fruit and veg in my diet but I probably do eat a lot in the way of processed meats… Whoops!
Some studies have been done which draw a link between particular food groups and healthy sperm production and furthermore, sperm morphology. Lycopene is a red carotene and carotenoid which we have in our bodies and can be found in many fruits and vegetables. A small study in India of 30 men with unexplained or idiopathic infertility was conducted in 2000. These men were given 2000 micrograms of lycopene twice a day for three months. After a three-month period (and therefore beyond that 74-day window) 66% showed an improvement in sperm concentration, 53% had improved motility and 46% showed an improvement in sperm morphology. Again, this is just one small study, but I did find other numerous sources that drew the same conclusions. Conversely, I didn’t find anything to suggest large amounts of lycopene would have a negative effect on general health – not that I’m going to start digesting only lycopene rich foods or anything, but it is worth bearing in mind. I think the general take away from this for me was to be more mindful of what I am eating and make sure I am getting more of the things that are good for me. There are also numerous lists online which list out the foods highest in lycopene concentration such as tomatoes (cooked), guava, watermelon, papaya, grapefruit, sweet red peppers (cooked), asparagus (cooked), red cabbage, mango and carrots. All of which I actually really like so I have no problem adding a bit more of them to my diet! The important thing I remind myself is that even if it doesn’t improve my own situation it certainly isn’t going to do my body any harm either!
Another of the potential impacts is exercise, both in a lack of AND an excessive amount of it. It’s pretty obvious that a lack of exercise has numerous health implications so I don’t really need to go into that but I was intrigued by the excessive exercise. If you are a gym goer and love your weights that is incredible, but if you overdo it, it can have an impact on the muscles in your body causing strain and the like. Obviously, no single study suggests that you write off weightlifting, but it does advise to be mindful of excess strain on the body.
It was suggested to me that even the amount of walking I was doing on holiday could have had an impact. On numerous days, we were walking in excess of 20km a day around California and while walking is not going to have a negative impact on health, combined with the very hot temperatures, wearing the snug clothes, a lack of fruit and vegetables, eating a lot of processed foods and drinking a fair amount of alcohol all in tandem could be why my results were so poor… Big Whoops!!!
Similarly, along the lines of exercise (of a sort) even sexual activity can have an impact. I am sure I can leave it to your imagination, but if you are particularly, shall we say, vigorous or rough with your jewels, it can have an impact (no pun intended!). Putting it simply, if a kick to the nuts can do damage, it goes without saying that there are other factors, in a more sexual sense, that can have an effect.
Whilst mentioning sexual activity, sexually transmitted diseases and the like are know to damage fertility, along with any other blood infections. Even gum disease could potentially have a affect on the sperm count and morphology!
Again (and moving swiftly on), I must stress I am not a doctor and I have only learned all of this from the internet but if I take away anything from it, making these small changes is not going to be bad for me, even if it doesn’t improve my sperm morphology, so it is definitely worth a shot. For my own peace of mind (and potentially restore a little faith in what masculinity I have – lol) I have made these changes and will get retested privately at a later date.
If anything, I just hope this article has been a little bit informative. It is now a known fact that male fertility in Western Men is decreasing. In fact, male sperm counts have actually halved in the last 40 years and are currently declining at a rate of 1.4% per year! Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer as to why this is. Until more research is done all we can do is try and make those changes to improve overall health and hope that it also improves the health of our goods.
Thanks for stopping by and reading x
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