Informative Articles on Male Infertility

[Calypso]

You are welcome to post articles related to Male Infertility in this thread. It is important that you cite your source. Also, if you have a date when the article was written, please post that so we know how current the information is.

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[peaches312004]

Sperm quality is judged on the basis of five factors defined by the World Health Organization and if one of these factors is inadequate it can affect the chances of conception. These five factors are:

1. Number of sperm cells: This refers to the quantity of sperm cells in the sample of ejaculated semen. The normal ejaculate will contain more than 40 million sperm cells.

2. Concentration of sperm cells: This refers to the numbers of sperm in a single milliliter of ejaculate. A normal semen sample will contain more than 20 million sperm cells per milliliter of ejaculate.

3. Motility: This refers to the sperm cells ability to swim ie they should be strong swimmers! In a healthy semen sample more than 50% of the sperm will show excellent motility ie be strong swimmers, and 25% of them will move strongly in one direction. Experts believe that this is an important characteristic of sperm because of their need to swim from the vagina, through the cervix, into the womb and up the fallopian tubes to meet the released egg when ovulation occurs.

4. Speed: Some sperm cells move faster than others and at least 25% of the sperm cells should have fast and straight forward movement.

5. Morphology: This refers to the size and shape of the sperm and a healthy sperm looks rather like a tadpole. At least 30% of sperm cells should have normal shape and size.

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Enhance your fertility:

-Make sure your diet is a healthy one; cut back on caffeine and alcohol intake.
-Take regular exercise
-Stop smoking
-Avoid or reduce stress
-Wear loose fitting underwear or boxer shorts

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Below is a list of vitamins that men should take if your husband has a low sperm count/motility:

L-Carnitine - an amino acid that has been shown to be critical to the formation of healthy, active sperm.
Ferulic acid - an antioxidant found in Dong Quai, has also been shown to improve sperm quality.
Vitamin C and E, Green Tea and Selenium - improve overall reproductive health.
Zinc and B Vitamins (B6, B12, and Folate) - critical nutrients in the male reproductive system for proper hormone metabolism, sperm formation and motility.

*Please note that it may take several months to notice a difference in sperm count/motility.

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Helpful Links

www.healthwell.com/hnbreakthroughs/feb99/sperm.cfm?path=hw&cond=104&mcat=30 (http://www.healthwell.com/hnbreakthroughs/feb99/sperm.cfm?path=hw&cond=104&mcat=30)

www.ivf.com/infohus.html (http://www.ivf.com/infohus.html)

www.ivf.com/shaban.html (http://www.ivf.com/shaban.html)