5 Natural Ways for better sperm quality
 

A man’s body is always producing new sperm. It takes about three months for men to make new sperm, so if you are thinking about giving the best possible head start for your family, it really begins now. The best thing is natural ways to turbocharge your fertility really works.


1. Maintain a healthy weight
Both overweight (23-24.9 kg/m2) and obese (>25 kg/m2) body mass indexes (BMIs) in the Asian context have been associated with decreased fertility as well as other adverse health effects.

Obesity not only affects sperm quality but sexual performance as well. Establishing a good exercise and diet regimen is important, a healthy weight loss of 2-4 kg a month is recommended.

On the other hand, underweight BMI (<18.5 kg/m2) is also associated with lower semen quality. Excessive weight loss can result in a lack of nutrients to build healthy sperm.

Very high intensity exercises have been shown to temporarily reduce sperm count. Long-distance cycling≥ 5 hours per week have been associated with lower sperm concentration, possibly due to increased heat around the scrotal area.

With the cycling boom in Singapore amid COVID-19, we recommend keeping your meet-ups with cycling kakis to one to two times per week with a maximum of one hour each time to keep your sperm in top form.

Speaking to a health professional if you have concerns about maintaining a healthy weight range of between 18.5-23 kg/m2 in BMI is a good starting point to help you achieve and maintain your health goals.

2. Improve your diet
Nutrition can both negatively and positively affect semen quality. It has been found that a healthy diet rich in fish, chicken, fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains have a positive impact on semen quality.

The relationship between diet and sperm quality and fertility is far from complete but some broad conclusions have been formed. Increased intake of specific nutrients such as zinc and selenium, coenzyme Q10 and carnitine supplements have been positively related to sperm quality.

3. Stop smoking and limit your alcohol intake

Smoking is toxic to both the sperm and the egg; multiple studies have shown associations with reduced fertility. Smoking is just not good for you. (‘nuff said).

Read more about Singapore’s Health Promotion Board I Quit Programme here. You are not alone.

It is recommended to limit alcohol consumption to 2 drinks a day. High consumption of alcohol has been found to reduce sperm quality and also, it has a negative effect on sexual performance.

Seek help in Singapore here.

4. Keep it cool


Because sperm production is reduced by high heat around the testicles, many myths exist about how to improve fertility by keeping the testicles cool. There is no evidence that wearing loose fitting underwear is helpful.

Sitting in the hot tub or sauna is not likely to affect sperm production and male fertility. However, sitting in a very hot sauna or hot tub)>39°C) for 20 minutes or longer might temporarily lower sperm concentrations and should be minimised.

Ultimately, sperm production is temperature sensitive and its comfort range is about 2-3°C lower than our body temperature – this is why testicles hang out of the body! A simple act of crossing one’s legs can raise the temperature around the testicles by 1°C!

5. Have lots of SEX!
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence guideline on optimal frequency of sexual intercourse aimed at conception is 10-15 times a month, i.e. sexual intercourse every 2-3 days optimises the chance of pregnancy.

In fact, daily sex (or daily ejaculation) has been found to improve sperm quality.

Reducing your stress and anxiety levels could improve semen quality, not only that, it puts you and your partner in a better mood.

BONUS: Consider taking PROfertil®

Assessing your sperm from home

How do you know if your sperm quality is improving?
You need to test your semen. Semen analysis used to be a very inconvenient process.

But now you can test your semen quality at home.

SIRE’s proprietary semen analysis kit makes it possible for you to produce the specimen in the comfort of your home

No awkward visits to fertility clinics!

Once you have collected the specimen, our courier will collect the sample within a specific time window and deliver it to our partner laboratory in a climate-controlled environment. This ensures an accurate test result.

With periodic analysis, you will be able to track the improvement of your semen quality.

Check out the four-step semen analysis process and book your kit now..