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Healthy sperm: Improving your fertility

Caution: Hazardous to sperm

Even under the best circumstances, only 50 to 70 percent of a man's sperm are healthy enough to fertilize an egg. Sperm can be especially vulnerable to environmental factors, such as exposure to excessive heat or toxic chemicals. To protect your fertility:

  • Watch out for toxins. Experts think certain workplace and household substances might have an effect on sperm quantity and quality. These include heavy metals used in industrial workplaces, pesticides and chemicals in solvents. Use protective clothing, proper ventilation and face masks to reduce the risk of absorbing such toxins.
  • Quit using tobacco. The sperm of men who smoke may be misshapen and may move more slowly than those of nonsmokers. Smoking can also damage your sperm's DNA. Experts suspect such damage could even affect a baby's growth and development and increase a child's chance of having certain health problems, including cancer. And chewing tobacco isn't safe either — it also may cause low sperm counts and damage. As if that weren't enough, tobacco use can increase erectile dysfunction. Research shows men who both smoke and drink alcohol have lower sperm counts and motility than do men with either habit alone.
  • Limit alcohol. Heavy drinking may reduce the quality and quantity of sperm. Limit alcohol to no more than one or two drinks a day. The combination of tobacco and alcohol is particularly harmful.
  • Steer clear of illicit drugs. Marijuana can decrease sperm density and motility and increase the number of abnormal sperm. Cocaine and opiates can contribute to erectile dysfunction, and amphetamines can decrease sex drive.
  • Skip the tub. To maximize the quality and quantity of your sperm, avoid hot tubs and baths. Spending more than 30 minutes in water 102 F (40 C) or above may lower your sperm count. Saunas and steam rooms may have a similar effect.
  • Avoid hormone havoc. Anabolic steroids, usually taken illegally, can shrink the testicles and drastically reduce fertility. Anti-androgens used to treat prostate enlargement and cancer interfere with sperm production. Testosterone supplements also decrease fertility.
  • Stay cool. Increased scrotal temperature can hurt sperm production. Experts know that hot work environments, tight underpants, prolonged sitting and use of laptop computers can all increase scrotal temperature. They are still studying how these activities affect fertility.
  • Avoid lubricants during sex. Personal lubricants, lotions and even saliva can interfere with sperm motility. However, vegetable-oil-based lubricants are okay.

Medications and fertility

Many medications can reduce your fertility. Medications that may affect fertility include:

  • Medications to control a chronic condition such as high blood pressure, inflammatory bowel disease or gout, or to suppress your immune reaction to a transplanted organ. Ask your doctor how your treatment may affect sperm development.
  • Chemotherapy drugs. These medications can cause permanent infertility. So can radiation treatment for cancer. If you'll be undergoing cancer treatment, talk with your doctor about saving and freezing your sperm (semen cryopreservation) before treatment.

Separating fact from fiction

A number of myths have made the rounds in recent years, including groundless rumors that menthol cigarettes and certain soft drinks can make men sterile. Here are some that turn out to be true:

  • Fact: Bicycling can sabotage the system. Sitting on a bicycle saddle for more than 30 minutes at a time — especially if you also wear tight bicycle shorts — may raise your scrotal temperature and affect sperm production. In addition, prolonged cycling can cause genital numbness — a sign of damage to delicate nerves and arteries. Choose a seat that's not too hard or narrow, and make sure it's adjusted to keep weight on your "sit bones." Take frequent rests while biking.
  • Fact: Pollution affects sperm. Experts think environmental toxins may have something to do with falling sperm counts. One culprit may be estrogen-like chemicals widely used in agriculture and industry. These substances are found in places ranging from drinking water to household products. Other environmental toxins that might affect male fertility are growth hormones present in meat.
  • Fact: The flu slows sperm production. An illness that causes a fever can affect sperm production and sperm quality. But it won't affect fertility for two to three months, since it takes sperm 75 days to mature.
  • Fact: The calendar also matters to men. Sperm counts are higher in the winter and lower in the summer. This may be because cooler temperatures are associated with increased sperm production. Sperm counts are also higher in the morning than at other times of day. However, experts aren't sure that time of day or time of year makes a notable difference in fertility.

Adopting healthy lifestyle practices to preserve your fertility — and avoiding things that can damage it — may improve your and your partner's chances of conceiving a child. But you still may not become a father on your first — or even 51st — try. If you and your partner haven't achieved a pregnancy after a year of unprotected intercourse, see your doctor and get a semen analysis. About 25 percent of couples have trouble conceiving at some point, and this number increases with age. Forty percent of infertility can be traced to the man alone, but often it's a combination of both the man and woman. A fertility specialist can identify the cause of the problem and provide treatments that may help place you and your partner on the road to parenthood.

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References
  1. Aitken RJ. Sperm function tests and fertility. International Journal of Andrology. 2006;29:69.
  2. Eskenazi B, et al. Antioxidant intake is associated with semen quality in healthy men. Human Reproduction. 2005;20:1006.
  3. Agarwal A, et al. Clinical relevance of oxidative stress in male factor infertility. American Journal of Reproductive Immunology. 2008;59:2.
  4. Lenzi A, et al. Stress, sexual dysfunctions, and male infertility. Journal of Endocrinological Investigation. 2003;26(suppl):72.
  5. Vaamonde D et al. Reproductive profile of physically active men after exhaustive endurance exercise. International Journal of Sports Medicine. 2006;27:680.
  6. Kort HI, et al. Impact of body mass index values on sperm quantity and quality. Journal of Andrology. 2006;27:450.
  7. Sharpe RM. Lifestyle and environmental contribution to male infertility. British Medical Bulletin. 2000;56:630.
  8. Potts RJ. Sperm chromatin damage associated with male smoking. Mutation Research. 1999;423:103.
  9. Said TM, et al. Relationship between semen quality and tobacco chewing in infertile men. Fertility and Sterility. 2004;82(suppl):2.
  10. Martini AC. Effects of alcohol and cigarette consumption on human seminal quality. Fertility and Sterility. 2004;82:374.
  11. Nudell DM, et al. Common medications and drugs: How they affect male fertility. Urologic Clinics of North America. 2002;29:965.
  12. Jung A, et al. Influence of the type of undertrousers and physical activity on scrotal temperature. Human Reproduction. 2005;20:1022.
  13. Anderson L, et al. The effects of coital lubricants on sperm motility in vitro. 1998;12:3351.
  14. Nippoldt TB (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Nov. 21, 2008.
  15. Human exposure to endocrine disrupters and semen quality. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B, Critical Reviews. 2008;11:188.
  16. Swan SH. Does our environment affect our fertility? Some examples to help reframe the question. Seminars in Reproductive Medicine. 2006:24:142.
  17. Carlsen E, et al. History of febrile illness and variation in semen quality. Human Reproduction. 2003:18:2089.

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Dec. 16, 2008

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