7 things men do harming their fertility
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7 things men do harming their fertility
When a couple is trying to conceive, the emphasis is often placed on a woman’s fertility. But what about the guy’s role in making sure he’s doing his part in achieving conception success?
Many men may unknowingly be doing certain things harming their ability to create new life. And the good news is, most of these common practices men do, can be corrected helping to increase their fertility and in becoming a dad. The healthier a man is, the healthier his sperm will be leading to a better chance of conceiving a baby.
Here are 7 things that may be getting in the way of making sure their sperm is strong, healthy, and ready for fathering a child:
1. Not nixing their nicotine fix
Plain and simple – don’t smoke. The nicotine and other harmful chemicals found in cigarettes have been linked to lowered sperm counts along with slowing down their ability to swim fast in their scramble to fertilize the egg.
2. Spending too much time on their laptop
Technology has taken over our lives but keep the laptop off your lap. Sitting comfortably with a laptop squarely placed on a man’s lap will create some heat while it is running. This heat, along with likely WiFi waves they harness, is a double whammy for reducing motility of sperm and possibly damaging DNA.
3. Avoiding foods high in lycopene
Men who regularly consume foods rich in the phytochemical lycopene have higher sperm counts and sperm that are fast, just like Olympic swimmers. This powerful antioxidant found in red veggies and fruit – watermelon, tomatoes, cherries, red peppers, and strawberries – fights oxidative stress which can contribute to poor sperm health.
4. Keeping their crown jewels too warm
Cool is better than warmth for a man’s testicles when it comes to fertility success. Ever wonder why men’s testicles are stored in their own pouch outside of a man’s body? To achieve optimal sperm production and storage, the temperature must be lower than normal human body temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. So this means no hot baths or hot tubbing until pregnancy is official.
5. Taking too many coffee breaks
Too bad but too many cups of java a day – three or more - have been found to increase the risk of sperm mutations. Keep coffee consumption at a reasonable one or two cup per day.
6. Gaining too much weight
Even men need to reach a healthy body weight before a woman conceives. Emerging evidence is showing that men who are obese have an increase in male infertility. The excess weight impacts negatively on male reproductive potential by reducing sperm quality plus produce a lower number of sperm or even no sperm at all.
7. Stop smoking pot
Regardless of the ever-widening acceptance of marijuana, men who regularly smoke pot or imbibe in edibles containing cannabis have been shown to have low sperm counts. In addition, guys 30 or younger who report using marijuana at least once in the past three months have nearly twice the odds of poor sperm morphology which refers to the size and shape of sperm.