Sperm Health
Sperm is secreted in the semen during ejaculation and it the primary male sex cell that contributes the male portion of genetic information. Sperm is also responsible for fertilizing a woman’s egg with the goal of producing a baby. All healthy sperm have five distinct characteristics: motility, speed, count, concentration, and morphology.
Motility: Sperm motility refers to the sperms ability to move or swim in an active fashion. Fifty percent of all sperm are active with 25% of them forcefully moving in one direction, ideally towards the cervical canal into the uterus, fallopian tubes and eventually reaching the egg for fertilization.
Speed: The forward movement of sperm is called rapid linear progression and approximately 25% of sperm will exhibit this characteristic. It is believed that this sperm has the best chance of fertilizing an egg.
Sperm Count: This refers to the number of live sperm found in the semen. The normal range is 40 and 50 million sperm in a single ejaculate. Anything less than this is an indication of decreased fertility.
Concerntration: Measure d as the number of sperm cells contained in one millimeter of semen, the concentration should be around 20 million sperm cells.
Morphology: This is the actual physical appearance (the size and shape) of the sperm cells. A healthy normal sperm looks similar to a tadpole with a head and a tail. The head is a flat oval shaped structure that is approximately 4 – 6 micrometers in length. The tail is divided into four distinct parts: the neck, middle piece, principal piece and end piece. The total length of the tail is about 55 micrometers. The head contains the genetic material while the tail is responsible for propelling the sperm forward.
Any deviation from these five characteristics denotes infertility and almost 75% of male infertility is a result of unhealthy sperm.
Unfortunately too many men don’t consider the health of their sperm until it is too late. Only once they have tried and failed to conceive do they realize that they have unhealthy sperm. Therefore, if any man wants to have children they need to take proactive measures to ensure the health of their sperm. Here are 13 tips to promote healthy sperm:
1. Wear Loose Clothing – Wearing tight constricting clothing, such as briefs, can heat up the scrotum resulting in lower sperm production and health.
2. Stay Cool – The scrotum area needs to stay four degrees cooler than the rest of your body, so try to stay cool. Wear cotton materials instead of synthetic. Avoid hot tubs, steam baths, saunas, and prolonged usage of laptops. All of these activities will increase the temperature of your scrotum.
3. Just Say No to Drugs – Illicit drug use, steroids, and certain prescribed medications can all have a negative impact on fertility. Stop using them immediately and if you are taking prescribed medications, talk to your doctor about their effect on fertility.
4. Take Your Vitamins – Taking a daily vitamin supplement, specifically folic acid with zinc sulfate, has been shown to increase sperm count by almost 74 percent!
5. Be Mindful of Your Environment – Certain toxins found in the environment can affect your fertility. You should take an inventory of the substances you are exposed to on a daily basis and determine if they could be detrimental to your sperm health.
6. Ejaculate Frequently – Sperm is like breast milk; if you don’t use it you will lose it and the more you use, the more you will produce. Therefore, you should try to ejaculate at least once every 24 to 48 hours.
7. Go All Natural – Using lubricants during sexual intercourse is common, especially when your partner is experiencing vaginal dryness. But, many of the lubricants that are on the market are actually harmful to your sperm. If a lubricant is absolutely necessary, try using olive oil or mineral oil instead.
8. Exercise – Exercising for 30 minutes a day, 3 days per week is the best way to promote not just a healthy lifestyle but healthy sperm as well.
9. Relax – Too much stress can interfere with the hormones needed to produce sperm and it can also inhibit your sex drive.
10. Do Not Have That Third Beer – Alcoholic beverages severely impact the quality and quantity of sperm. You should have no more than 2 beers per day.
11. Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables – Fresh fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants which are proven to increase sperm health.
12. Watch Your Weight – Not only is obesity bad for your overall health, it is also just as bad for your sperm health. Carrying around too much extra weight contributes to the production of abnormal sperm.