Threats to Male Fertility
When a couple are trying to conceive both partners need to be healthy. As dicussed previously, infertility invloves many factors however in general when you live a healthy lifestyle the probability of your sperm being healthy dramatically increases. Boosting your system with a highly nutritional diet, including vitimin C and zinc is a start. But knowing waht to avoid is just as important. Whilst some diseases like anemia, fevers, tuberculosis or mumps and other infections during adulthood can be a cause infertility, making sure to avoid nicotine, alcohol and illegal drugs should be at the top of you list.Smoking, especially if you have been a smoker for a long time can dramatically reduce your sperm count and also damage the sperm cells themselves. There are also lifestyle issues that can affect your fertility. Stress is becoming more common and many men struggle to find a healthy balance between working to hard and not taking enough time out for themselves or their family, often leading to poor sexula performance.
Exercise, yes exercise can lead to a low sperm count. By exercise we are of course referring to excessive exercise not simply walking or jogging twice a week. With intense exercise your body produces high levels of adrenal steroid hormones which adversly affects your testosterone levels. Also as your body temperature rises your scrotum can become 'over-heated' and again as discussed previously this can damage sperm production. If you are taking medications prescribed by your doctor you should also be sure to check and side effects that could contribute to your fertility issues. Anti-fungal medications, diarhetic treatments and Azulfidine used in the treatment of ulerative colitis can affect fertility. Anabolic steroids have also been shown to cause testicle shrinkage and infertility. And finally, STI's. Any infections that can damage your reproductive system needs to be cured during the early stages no matter how embarrassing it may seem. Chlamydia and ghonorrhea can seriously damage your spermatic ducts and can also be passed onto your partner which can then damage her reproductive system.
