Men’s Fertility Matters Too… What I Look For
When you’re trying to conceive, it’s easy for the focus to fall almost entirely on the woman. Tracking ovulation. Taking supplements. Optimising your cycle. Getting blood tests. Thinking about what you’re eating, drinking and doing each month. It can be really stressful, not to mention a massive mental load!
But there are two people involved in making a baby!
Male fertility matters too.
In fact, male factors contribute to infertility in around half of couples experiencing difficulties conceiving, either on their own or alongside female factors. The good news is that sperm are massively responsive to lifestyle and environmental factors which is naturopathic medicine at its core.
Sperm take around 2-3 months to develop, which means the months leading up to conception can be an important window to support sperm health.
So what actually matters for sperm?
There are a few key areas I look at with my male clients:
🥑 Nutrition
Sperm are particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress, so a nutrient-dense diet rich in colourful fruit and vegetables, quality protein, wholegrains, nuts, seeds and healthy fats can provide important antioxidants and nutrients for sperm production.
🍷 Alcohol
Regular or higher alcohol intake can negatively affect sperm parameters and hormones. Reducing alcohol, particularly in the months leading up to trying to conceive, can be a worthwhile step.
🚬 Smoking & recreational drugs
These can have significant effects on sperm quality and are important factors to address when preparing for conception.
🔥 Heat
The testes are outside the body for a reason!
Frequent hot baths, saunas and spas, prolonged laptop-on-lap use and other sources of heat may affect sperm production, particularly when exposure is frequent.
🏋️ Exercise & body composition
Regular movement and maintaining a healthy body composition can support reproductive health, while excessive training or very low energy availability can also be problematic.
😴 Sleep & stress
Sperm health isn’t isolated from the rest of the body. Sleep, stress, metabolic health and overall wellbeing all play a role in reproductive health.
And then there are nutrients, herbs and individual biological differences...
When I’m working with a couple preparing for conception, I don’t just look at the woman’s nutritional status.
For men, nutrients including zinc, selenium, folate, vitamin C, vitamin E, ubiquinol and omega-3s at therapeutic doses, as well as specific herbal remedies can be particularly relevant to sperm production and function.
But this doesn’t mean every man needs to take a giant handful of supplements, the right approach depends on his diet, health history, medications, blood test results, lifestyle and, importantly, his semen analysis. Everyone has unique and individual biochemistry
You also don’t necessarily need to wait until you’ve been trying unsuccessfully for months or years before looking at male fertility.
A semen analysis is a relatively simple way of getting more information about sperm concentration, motility and morphology, and it can be a really useful starting point if you’re preparing for conception or have concerns about fertility. And if you’re already working on your own fertility, it can be helpful to remember:
This isn’t all on you, preparing for pregnancy is something you can and should do together.
If you’re planning to start trying soon, now can be a great time for both partners to look at their health and make some simple changes that support fertility.
If you’d like personalised support preparing for conception, you can book an appointment with me below.
Amy x
P.S. If you’re the woman reading this and thinking, “I wish my partner would actually read this…” 😂 Send it to him, it's always good to start education for partners. It can help them realise they are a big part of the journey too!