His sperm is "fine"? Think again.

Poor sperm quality is a major reason stopping women becoming pregnant.

Even if your husband has been given the tick of approval from a doctor, sperm could be a factor.

I've seen it play a major role in "unexplained infertility".

Let me tell you why.
Your husband gets a sperm test.
Doctor says: "the sperm is fine"

Que husband: mentally checking out.

He probably hasn't even been asked about his lifestyle habits.
Because he's off the hook. Right?
So there's no reason to change anything.

Wrong!

A sperm test's pass rate is 5%
That means it only needs to be better than the bottom 5% of the fertile population.
And.... sperm quality is declining at an alarming rate.

If sperm was a school student it would only have to write it's name at the top of the page to pass.

A man today has half the number of sperm than their grandfather had.
From 1973-2011 a 50% decline in sperm levels.
A continuing declining rate of 1.5% per year.

When I started working in fertility we never gave much energy to checking sperm.
It wasn’t a problem.
Now experts question male fertility regularly.

It is becoming a public health emergency.

If a sperm test is described as 'fine' it's not fine.
It's bad.
And most likely still sitting around the bottom 5% or lower.

In a best chance scenario, it means falling pregnant in 12 months.

Even then a 12 month timeframe assumes no other fertility challenges.

Men's role in fertility is frequently overlooked.
It's a huge problem.
But it's not their fault.

A lot of doctors treating infertility have no idea how to help.

Sperm tests are not the only problem.

It only tells us a little bit about sperm quality.

It's a snapshot in time.
Lots of things can influence the results.
Like illness, stress, and a big night out a few days before the test.

Yep, a big night of drinking can wipe out good sperm quickly.

Most importantly I want you to know:
Sperm tests don't check DNA quality.

Sperm DNA quality matters.
Poor quality sperm DNA is said to be 'highly fragmented'.
It's proportionate to embryo fertilisation.
Which precedes growing a healthy baby.

Higher DNA fragmentation = poor fertilisation + higher rates of miscarriage.

There's good news.
Sperm DNA quality can be checked.
By completing a DNA fragmentation test.

I don't see a lot of fertility specialists ordering this test.
Because:

1. It's expensive.
2. They simply don't know what to do with the results.

But I have the answer!
I'm going to share it with you right now.

Western medicine can only offer IVF.
So many couples think IVF is the only way forward.
Western medicine's answer to poor sperm quality is
"It doesn't matter that sperm isn't great.
We will just pick the best sperm in the lab".

But it's not enough.
Often resulting in unsuccessful IVF cycles.

Sperm samples are like a bunch of grapes.
Do you want to pick the best grape from a rotten bunch?
...GROSS!

DNA fragmentation is due to lifestyle.

Modern living is killing sperm.
We're moving less and sitting more.
Stress levels are higher than ever before so sleep and health are sacrificed.

Heat kills sperm and fragments DNA.

There is a reason why men's balls are outside of their bodies.

They need to be cooler to function best.
And modern living is a recipe for generating heat.

Minimising sperm damaging heat by avoiding:

1. Phone's in his front pocket:
   The heat from an iPhone can damage sperm quality.
   Same goes for laptops sitting on his lap.
2. Avoid saunas and hot tubs.
3. Manage chronic stress:
   Excessive stress raises cortisol which increases DNA fragmentation.
   He can combat cortisol with: regular exercise, meditation, breath work, cold exposure, acupuncture & massage.
4. Minimise alcohol and quit smoking:
   Including vaping and weed!
   Smoking is the number 1 cause of poor sperm quality and DNA fragmentation.
   Quitting is always the best way to improve his fertility and health of a future child.

Heat is bad, what about too much cold?

Research says cold is not just ok.
But is actually good.

Lowering the temperature of testicles optimises natural testosterone.
Studies show that cooling his balls at night, can improve sperm count and quality.
It only takes 8 weeks.

But complete sperm production and development takes 3 months.
So its best to do it a little longer.

Dropping testicle temperature by even 1 degree celsius improves sperm quality.
Best results are with a 2-5 degree drop.

Tools to cool the family jewels:

• A simple ice pack from the freezer
• Ice baths if you’re game.
• Take a dip in the ocean.
• Snowballs underwear:
  A great business that sells underwear with small pockets for an ice packet. You can buy them here: snowballsunderwear.com

Antioxidants are his new best friend.

Antioxidants reverse the damage from heat.

Supplements that boost antioxidants:

• CoQ10
• Omega 3
• Vitamin C
• Nicotinamide riboside
• NAC (N-acetyl cysteine)

Better yet, get him to incorporate more antioxidant rich food into his diet.

He's got to "move it, move it".

Men who exercise regularly have higher sperm count and testosterone.

Research proves sperm quality is significantly affected by activity levels.
Studies show improved sperm when men lift heavy objects at work, or if they increased exercise.

Improvements have been seen in 3-6 months and decreased 30 days after stopping exercise.

Anyone for a round of golf?

So now when you think about your fertility,
think about it as a team sport.
How are you working as a team to create your dream family?

Share this with your partner.
And as always,
Any questions or thoughts please share them with me.

I'm always here to help

Jaya x