What Affects Sperm Quality and How to Improve It?

The quality of sperm affects the possibility of conceiving the child. That`s why many couples are eager to know what affects sperm quality and how to improve it.

Common bad habits and an unhealthy lifestyle can greatly harm your sperm. There are many factors that affect sperm quality. Sperm should have 50% or more healthy spermatozoa that have an oval head and a long tail. Healthy sperm must be motile and there should also be a normal indicator of their number – about 20 million for 1 ml of sperm.

What Affects Sperm Quality – Meaning Factors

All these indicators are very important for the quality of sperm, but there are factors that can worsen it.

#1 Bad habits

Not only bad habits affect the quality of sperm but also the entire body as a whole. Smoking, drinking alcohol, and using drugs will not go unnoticed for your health.

#2 Diet

The food you eat significantly affects the quality of sperm. You need to pay attention to foods that are rich in zinc.

#3 Overheating

The temperature of the testicles should be below body temperature. Therefore, you should stop wearing tight underwear. When wearing tight underwear, the testicles are pressed to the body and their temperature rises. Thereby, heating occurs, which affects the quality of sperm production. Also, don’t go to the sauna very often or take a hot bath.

#4 Sexually transmitted diseases

STDs significantly affect the quality of sperm even after complete cure. For example, if you suffer from chlamydia, it reduces your chances of having children by 30% and can even lead to infertility.

It is very important to use contraceptive methods and do regular checkups at the doctor since some diseases can develop without symptoms.

#5 Injuries to the testicles

If you ever have had a testicular injury, then the body produces antibodies that attack the sperm and the sperm quality decreases.

#6 Stress

Try to avoid stressful situations in your life. They impair male reproductive health. In this case, it is recommended to relax more, by taking long walks outside in the fresh air, meditating, etc.

Ways to Improve the Quality of Sperm

Here are effective ways to improve the quality of sperm.

• Lose weight. Whether you’re overweight or underweight, it may have a very negative effect on spermatozoa. It is recommended to have a balanced healthy diet that includes a lot of fruits, vegetables, healthy lean protein, as well as grains and dairy products.
• Consume more folic acid. Men with low levels of folic acid have a higher level of abnormally working chromosomes in the sperm. Beans, any green leafy vegetables, as well as whole grains, many citrus fruits, and rye bread are rich in folic acid.
• Stop smoking. It is desirable to quit smoking at least three months before conceiving a child. The development of full-grown mature sperm can take about three months.
• Stop drinking alcohol. Alcohol contributes to a sharp decrease in the production of full-fledged sperm in men and, among other things, causes anomalies.
• Undergo adequate medical examination. It is extremely important to thoroughly check the general health before conception. This allows identifying and getting rid of many problems.

Final Words

Now, when you know what affects sperm quality, it will be easier to keep it healthy. Eat well, sleep well, get reed of bad habits and everything will change for the better. We hope that this post was helpful and wish you good health and happy families.