Help Him, Help You!
You Want to Be Pregnant: Here’s How We Help Him, Help You!
When couples are pregnant they often look to the female for lack of ovulation or blocked uterine tubes, but it can be the guy who needs a fertility push as well! In fact, if borderline abnormalities are included some studies show that as many as 30% of infertility couples will have both partners involved.
Lifestyle: Sex! Two to three times a week is prescribed if trying for pregnancy. All seriousness aside there is no better way in getting to that goal of getting pregnant to get both partners maximizing their nutrition, their fitness, their rest, and their health. Women are told to begin a prenatal vitamin, but for those with the best diets, particularly those high in vegetarian fair (especially if some foods like breads and oatmeal are fortified a bit), just a proper diet may be the best way to eat to get pregnant. Caffeine limits in women help them conceive, there has never been a link with guys with amount of caffeine and rates of conception. So no need to take his Red Bull! He needs to be a healthy weight to maximize his fertility rates. New sperm are generated about every 90-120 days in men, so if a guy has health issues that would affect his sperm production have him eating and sleeping well for 3 months and the sperm count will naturally rise. And it is a true thing that as a rule, sperm counts rise if you wear boxers instead of jockey type underwear!
Testosterone: Men who are the least fertile have lower testosterone accompanying their low sperm production. Signs of low testosterone might include: fatigue, erectile dysfunction,, decreased beard growth, or in severe cases muscle wasting. Test his nutrition, test his muscle mass, and test his hormones to determine if this is an issue when you as a couple have been trying for 3-6 months with no pregnancy.
Varicoceles: Other causes of infertility in men may have varicoceles which is a set of dilated blood vessels in the cords leading up to the testicle. The extra blood flow can raise the temperature of the testicle which can lower the sperm production in spite of lifestyle and diet changes.
Stop Smoking! In many cases the varicocele won't affect the sperm production at all, and the counts will rise with giving him a multivitamin, lowering his alcohol intake, stopping smoking, and good nutrition including Mediterranean diet with a large number of vegetarian only meals which is what works for most men.
Medical Check Up: He should get an STD checkup, not likely the problem, but it could be! The same factors that lead to poor pregnancy history, low fertility and higher miscarriage rates in women can produce low sperm production in men: diabetes, hypertension, thyroid abnormalities, eating disorders, stress and obesity are among the factors that can affect a male's fertility. Medications can suppress sperm production as well.
Next Steps: At WHP we welcome all the dads to come with your gal to her appointment to discuss a plan . So a quick evaluation as a couple and making sure those sperm have a healthy 90 days may be all you need to produce fertility! www.womenshealthpractice.com (add make appointment link!)