5 Ways to Improve Fertility

Are you and your partner having a difficult time time to conceive? Know that you are not alone. Infertility is more common than you might think, affecting 1 in 6 couples. Researchers estimate that 1 in 3 cases is due to fertility issues due to the male partner alone. These statistics can be very frightening however there are many avenues you can take to increase your chances of growing your family, including medication, supplements and lifestyle changes.

Male Infertility

Male infertility is when a male has a low chance of getting his female partner pregnant. This is usually due to sperm quality or count. Infertility is often linked to sexual function or semen quality, here are some examples:

• Testosterone Level: Having low testosterone level’s which are the male sex hormones, could be a reason for infertility.
• Sperm Count: A low sperm count can make it more difficult to conceive naturally, although successful pregnancies still occur. If you have fewer than 15 million sperm per milliliter of semen it is less likely to fertilize your partner’s egg, resulting in pregnancy.
• Sperm Quality and Motility: In order to create a pregnancy your sperm need to move through the woman’s reproductive tract to reach and fertilize her egg. Having poor quality of sperm could be a result of poor lifestyle choices including excessive alcohol intake, high BMI, poor sleep quality.
• Erectile Dysfunction: ED does not have a direct impact on fertility however it could make it very difficult for a couple to conceive. Not being able to create and maintain an erection could create a lot of stress for a man resulting in less sexual intercourse.

Methods of treatment

1. HCG Injection- Human chorionic gonadotropin can help boost fertility in both men and women. For women, HCG triggers her body to ovulate and prepare the egg for fertilization. For men with low testosterone levels HCG can increase sperm production by 25%. This is especially helpful in cases of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH), a condition in which the body does not produce enough sex hormones.
2. Clomid- Also known as clomiphene citrate, this oral medication is known to treat female and male infertility. Women diagnosed with PCOS, a syndrome that causes irregular or absent ovulation, often have great success with this medication. For males, if a semen analysis finds you have low sperm count or poor motility, Clomid is a possible treatment option. Also, in a case of Azoospermia, having no sperm in your semen, Clomid can create and boost sperm count- opting increasing the odds of a successful sperm extraction.
3. D-aspartic Acid (D-AA)- An Amino Acid that’s concentrated in some body tissues and cells, such as testicles and sperm cells. Three months of taking this supplement can often double sperm concentration and increase motility by over 50%.
4. Limit your alcohol intake- Heavy alcohol consumption in males can lead to infertility. It has been reported to reduce gonadotropin release, testicular atrophy, and decrease testosterone and sperm production.
5. Healthy Lifestyle- Overweight men are 11% more likely than average weight peers to produce low sperm levels, and 39% more likely to produce no sperm at all. Lack of sleep can often decrease the quality of sperm. Avoid eating soy, which is rich in isoflavones, lowering sperm quality.

Infertility is widely common, however with modern medicine there are many avenues of help you are able to take. Often taking a multi level approach, improving all aspects of your life plus adding in supplements and medication to your plan can be very successful for conceiving.