Male Fertility :: Are his swimmers up to scratch?

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Men are as equally important as women when it comes to fertility - perhaps even more than you think. In the clinic we often treat both partners to achieve maximum results, as we know men make up approximately 60% of the equation when it comes to health and fertility. Quality of semen has decreased by up to 50% in recent years - men are ejaculating half the amount of sperm they were in the past - this may be one reason why we continue to see infertility rates rise. (Andrew Orr, 2010.)

Fortunately, men's reproductive function is usually very easy to treat with Chinese Medicine (CM). Western Medicine often falls short in being able to offer treatment for sperm issues and is increasingly acknowledging need to turn to alternative therapies to assist in treatment.(Medscape -Curr Drug Metab. 2005; 6 (5): 495-501-Mechanisms of male infertility: Role of antioxidants)

There is so much we can offer in the clinic to improve men’s fertility, sperm quality and overall reproductive function. It is important to remember that fertility isn't separate from overall health - so if semen analysis results suggest that your partner’s swimmers are struggling, there is a good chance that there are other areas of his health that would benefit from some treatment - as well as diet and lifestyle changes.

It is important we look at each case individually as there are several elements of sperm that can show up as problematic. Motility, Abnormality and Low Sperm Count are all important aspects that need to be considered. Levels of these may vary between males. This knowledge allows us to make our treatment specific, achieving quicker results. It is imperative that I study each males semen analysis results. Levels of just 14% (of motility, count & morphology) are considered fine by fertility doctors. This figure can certainly be improved, which in turn brings about substantially higher chances of conception, and much healthier sperm. If only 14% are doing what they are supposed to - what are the other 86% doing? Maybe swimming in the wrong direction? It's certainly worth investing into.

Men handle stress differently to women. Stress is a major contributor to fertility, as is poor diet, inadequate exercise, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, generally poor lifestyle habits and constitutional weakness. Many of us can tick a few of these boxes, and so changes can be quickly seen once these areas are addressed.

As with all good treatments, CM is about making positive long lasting changes without nasty and toxic side effects. Sperm take 120 days to fully regenerate. Whilst this may sound like a long time, the outcome during and beyond this time can be quite remarkable. In any case, from the instant that positive changes are made, the body begins repairing and increased fertility can be certain.