What Everyone Should Know About Male Fertility

Contributed by our friend, Robby Nelson form The Long Run NYC - health and longevity coaching.

It Takes Two to Tango (Male Fertility + Female Fertility)

Gents, did you know that male infertility is a factor in roughly 50% of the cases where a male and female couple are unable to conceive?  50%!  That gives a whole new meaning to “it’s not you, it’s me.”

 

With that in mind, it’s time to talk about your boys.  Many studies indicate that sperm number and quality have dropped significantly since the 1970s.  

Whether you have any intention of fathering children someday (or already have or can’t), almost all of the fourteen actions I discuss below to set yourself up for success on the fertility front are the same ones that will move you towards a healthier, more resilient version of yourself now and for the long run.  Also, as my mother used to say in her infinite wisdom: it takes two to tango (and she was not talking about dancing), so let’s make sure you’re a great tango partner.

Temperature & Male Fertility

Did you notice that your testes are outside your body?  That’s because they’re like Goldilocks and they like things not too hot, not too cold.  It also so happens that your sperm count can decrease by exposure to heat.  

• Skip the sauna and the jacuzzi if you’re at a phase of your life where you might be trying to conceive.  

Sleep & Male Fertility

Real men focus on the quality and quantity of their sleep.  Why?  Because testosterone is primarily secreted during sleep.  Not only can adequate testosterone help you build muscle, but it also impacts sperm production.  Here are a few things you can do to improve your sleep quality.

• Go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day.  Yes, even on the weekends.  You’ve heard of jetlag, well there is such a thing as social jetlag and it can disrupt hormonal and metabolic health.

• Avoid alcohol and large meals within 3 hours of bed.  Having alcohol and/or food too close to bed leads to poorer quality sleep and fragmented sleep (i.e. you wake up more often throughout the night).

• Sleep in a cool, dark, quiet room.  Most sleep experts recommend a room around 65 degrees Fahrenheit, having it very, very dark, and making it quiet or utilizing white noise.  I can’t make my room that dark so I bought a sleep mask for under $20.  

• Avoid caffeine within 8 hours of bed.  Caffeine has a long half-life of around 6 to 8 hours for most people (some people process it more quickly or slowly).  That means if you have a double espresso at 2pm, you still have a full shot of espresso worth of caffeine circulating at 10pm.  Would you take a shot of espresso before tucking yourself in?

• Avoid anything stimulating (or enraging) within one hour of bed.  People freak out about blue light disrupting our circadian rhythm, which is certainly a concern (generally speaking you want to be in softer, warmer light as bedtime nears), but it’s probably less your phone blasting you with blue light that’s disrupting your sleep as it is the work email or rage bait on social media.  Drop your phone to the bottom of a deep lake every night before bed (or, you know, put it in the other room).

Nutrition & Male Fertility

Remember, you are literally what you eat.  So eat things you want to be made of and that will power your sperm.

• Eat fruits and veggies.  They are a great source of fiber which is good for humans and they are rich in antioxidants.  Sperm appear to be particularly sensitive to oxidative stress so “eat the rainbow” as they say.  Some studies also suggest that a Mediterranean-style diet could have a positive impact on sperm health.

• Avoid pesticides and other nasty stuff.  Here is a great article from the BKFST Club blog on which foods you should buy organic.

• Eat whole foods (“real food”) whenever possible.  If your great-grandparents would recognize it, you’re probably good.

• Get adequate protein, somewhere in the 0.8 grams to 1.0 grams per pound of bodyweight per day.  While this won’t necessarily help with your sperm directly, it will help you build and maintain muscle (along with strength training) so that you’ll be able to hold and play with your kids (or grandkids) for many years to come.

  
  

Movement & Exercise

Getting sufficient movement and exercise is one of the best ways to improve your overall health, from your heart, to your brain, to your sperm.  

• Get a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, such as brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, etc per the American Heart Association guidelines.  That’s just north of 20 minutes per day.   

• Get at least two full-body strength training sessions per week (yes, your legs are part of your body).  

• Check your Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).  It is a very good (though certainly not perfect) look at your average blood glucose over the last 90 days or so.  Below 5.7% is considered “normal” (i.e. not pre-diabetic nor diabetic), but closer to 5% generally indicates improved overall metabolic health.  Not to mention that there is an association between pre-diabetes and infertility in men.

• Avoid excessive amounts of aerobic exercise (that Iron Man or Ultra Marathon can wait).

  
  

My advice?

Look for the low-hanging fruit.  If something I mentioned above sounds easy for you to do or implement, start there!  You certainly don’t need to change everything overnight, but finding things you can do consistently will make the biggest impact.  And if you ever want to talk through a plan, drop me a line (robby@thelongrun.nyc).

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