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Male Infertility
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Between 10 and 20% of couples
are infertile - that is they are unable to conceive after one year of
unprotected sexual intercourse. It is
estimated that in about 40% of cases the problem is sperm related.
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| What
Can Help |
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Start eating a
healthy, well balanced diet. Avoid animal fats, sugar, junk
foods and fried foods. |
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Quit smoking and
avoid cigarette smoke - there are toxins in cigarette smoke
that cause abnormalities in sperm |
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Cut out alcohol.
Alcohol decreases the body's ability to produce the male
hormone, testosterone. It also can effect sexual function. |
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Stay out of hot tubs
and saunas, and avoid vigorous exercise as these can reduce
sperm count. One study also showed that vigorous exercise may
reduce the production of a hormone that is directly involved
with fertility, potency & sex drive. |
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Avoid tight-fitting
underwear and pants. The testicles need to be at the correct
temperature to keep sperm healthy and mobile. |
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RELAX ! Stress
is well known as an excellent contraceptive. |
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| Some
Nutrients Worth Considering |
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Multivitamin &
mineral supplement - a good place to start to ensure
adequate nutrition. |
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Vitamin C, 1000mg
daily - keeps sperm healthy and mobile (see below) |
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L-Arginine - helps
to increase sperm count |
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Vitamin E, 400 - 800
IU daily - Needed for the balanced production of
hormones |
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Zinc 75mg daily -
Aids in prostate gland function |
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| Sperm mobility and
Vitamin C |
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For conception to occur it is
necessary that a man's sperm be healthy. If the sperm move slowly or
clump together then the chance of a pregnancy is greatly reduced.
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| Men who smoke are particularly
at risk, as toxic chemicals from cigarette smoke gets into their sperm
reducing the sperm count and increasing sperm abnormalities. |
| Studies have shown that these
problems can be helped by increasing Vitamin C intake. |
| A study at the University of
Texas showed that giving men 500 mg of Vitamin C twice daily reduced the
number of sperm that clumped together from over 20% to less than 11%. It
was also found that Vitamin C neutralized the damaging effects caused by
the toxic chemicals in cigarettes. |
| The greatest improvements were
seen in men who took 1000 mg of Vitamin C daily for at least one month.
To get this amount from diet alone would be very difficult, so some
doctors feel that supplements are a good idea. However it is still best
to increase your intake of foods that are rich in Vitamin C as well. |
