If your semen analysis has revealed that you have a low sperm count, then you may have questions about what that really means for your and your partner who are trying to conceive. Dr. Eric Daiter MD explains what it could mean for you and your conception efforts.
Your sperm count will be determined by semen analysis. Multiple analyses should be performed to accurately determine that there is a problem. Sperm count can vary greatly in samples taken only a few days apart, so try not to take an initial result too seriously until other tests have been done.
Having a low sperm count is very common among men and is generally not a concern until fertility is a factor. It is true that it only takes one sperm to fertilize an egg, but the chances of one sperm making it to the egg are very low. Sperm count can be a bit arbitrary considering that many men with very high sperm counts have been unsuccessful in fathering children and men with very low sperm counts have successfully done so.
If you have been told that your sperm count is low and that this may be a factor in your infertility, then consider what you can do to help increase your sperm count. Talk to your reproductive endocrinologist about specific causes of your low sperm count and get his/her advice before proceeding. But, there are a few things that you can do from day to day that can help increase the quantity, quality and motility of your sperm.
First, you need to make sure that you are leading a healthy lifestyle. You need to exercise, but only moderately. Too much exercise can have an opposite effect by altering your hormone production and reducing your sperm quality. Maintain a healthy weight. Too much or too little body fat can have a much higher effect on your hormone levels than most people realize. Keep your stress levels low if possible. Stress can affect hormone levels as well as sexual function. Take a multi-vitamin and eat a healthy balanced diet.
Second, you need to make sure that you’re not being exposed to toxins. This includes alcohol, tobacco products and recreational drugs. Smoking can cause lower sperm counts, more dysfunctional and abnormal sperm, as well as damage to the DNA of your sperm. Other forms of tobacco use can cause the same problems. This is also true of alcohol consumption. Combining the two, tobacco and alcohol, has a much greater effect on your sperm than either one alone.
Third, don’t get too hot. Hot baths, saunas and steam rooms can make your sperm too hot to develop correctly. Keep your scrotal temperature in mind. Tight underwear, prolonged sitting and over-activity can cause your scrotum to become too hot to produce sperm.
All of these suggestions are to be taken along with the advice of your infertility specialist. There could be other causes, besides temperature and environment, affecting your sperm count. Treating your condition could include other therapies and an infertility specialist, or reproductive endocrinologist, is extensively trained in this field.
About the Author: Dr. Eric Daiter, the medical director of The NJ Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine, LLC, a leading NEW JERSEY INFERTILITY CENTER that offers a complete range of MALE INFERTILITY AND FEMALE INFERTILITY TREATMENT. For more information on The NJ Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine and Eric Daiter please visit www.drericdaitermd.com.
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