With much of the fertility focus directed towards women, it’s easy to forget that the prospective father provides a 50% contribution to a healthy conception.
It takes your body about 90 days to create and mature sperm. Your health and nutrition during those 90 days significantly impacts sperm quality. High stress, poor sleep, digestive problems, inflammatory conditions and other illnesses (especially ones causing fever) can negatively impact sperm development.
Lifestyle factors also play a crucial role in reproductive health and proper sperm development. Karen can guide you regarding the small (or not-so-small!) lifestyle adjustments to improve your health and boost fertility.
Male preconception care is designed to maximise health so that you are at your best when you and your partner conceive.
Factors known to impair Male Fertility include:
- excessive stress (can interfere with male hormone production and function)
- being overweight or obese (directly impacts sperm, hormone changes reduce fertility)
- smoking (smokers have a lower sperm count than non-smokers)
- moderate – high alcohol use (can lower testosterone levels, cause erectile dysfunction and decrease sperm production)
- recreational drug use (can impair the development of sperm and reduce sperm count)
- raising testicular temperature (sitting, some sports, using a sauna or spa)
- exposure to solvents, paints, pesticides, heavy metals (in the workplace or during home renovation)
- medications (some anti-depressants, anti fungals, anabolic steroids)
The negative effects of these factors are usually temporary and reversible. Preconception Care enables you to identify, address and rectify the above and any others issues that become apparent during your consultation. Clinical studies indicate that acupuncture can regulate stress hormones, increase melatonin, reduce insomnia and positively affect sperm structure, number, morphology and motility
In general, men who are in good health, relatively stress-free and have no pre-existing health conditions benefit with weekly acupuncture for the first 4 weeks. Fortnightly or monthly follow-ups are then recommended to sustain the benefits of reduced general stress, improved sleep quality and healthy physiological function, whilst addressing any health issues that arise in this time.
If you a have pre-existing health condition or already know that sperm count, motility or morphology is affected, acupuncture is scheduled weekly for 8 -16 weeks. In many cases Chinese herbs and nutritional supplements can be incorporated into your Preconception programme to encourage healthier sperm development.
For more information regarding the treatment of specific fertility conditions, please click on the following links to read about Male Fertility and IVF Support.