It will be a shocking revelation for you but in almost 50 percent of the cases where a couple is having fertility issues, it is attributed to the male partner. And the cause of that is the lifestyle that we are leading right now. Things like psychological stress, less physical activity, high caffeine intake on a daily basis, increased telephone use, etc. all contribute to lower male fertility which then goes on to cause issues when a couple is trying to get pregnant.
There have been a bunch of studies conducted to find out which of these factors play a major role in the reduction of the male sperm count. And based on that people could make changes in their lives to help improve their sperm count.
If you are unsure about why you are having issues getting pregnant, make sure you reach out to a reputable IVF clinic. The main goal of every IVF clinic is to help their patients get pregnant.
And in almost all studies, the researchers found that stress plays a major role in lower male fertility.
But I will dive more into detail about stress in a bit.
Right now, let’s just jump into the 5 major factors that affect male fertility.
Drug Use
This is an obvious factor. But you would be surprised how many people suffer from low fertility because of this.
Drugs such as anabolic steroids that a lot of gym-goers like to take to increase their muscle strength and growth can literally shrink your testicles. And with smaller testicles, you will have a lower sperm count.
But wait, I thought only bodybuilders competing in shows like Mr. Olympia are the ones that are taking these anabolic steroids.
That is a good question. But you would be surprised how many people are on steroids at the gym you go to. Most people that take these drugs never look like they are on drugs. But they still suffer the same consequences as the people who take steroids and get huge.
Other drugs like cocaine and marijuana are also known to reduce not just your sperm count, but also the sperm quality. But they only do that temporarily.
Depression
Depression has been known to cause a lot of issues in both, males and females. Research has shown that the chances of a female getting pregnant are lower if the male partner is suffering from severe depression.
In most cases though, if a male partner is suffering from severe depression, he will have low libido and will also have erectile dysfunction. And in cases where they don’t have erectile dysfunction, they may suffer from delayed or inhibited ejaculation.
In the case of females, the eggs might just stop ovulating and they will stop getting their periods. And just like menopause, they won’t get pregnant.
Stress
Like I mentioned above, stress is one of the major factors that affect fertility in both, males and females.
The problem is, once you start having issues getting pregnant, your stress levels go up even more. And that massively affects your sperm counts. And the more issues you have getting pregnant, the worse this problem gets. And it just becomes a massive downward cycle.
In men, higher stress levels mean their bodies will produce less testosterone which means lower sperm production. Not just that, with higher stress levels, the body will also trigger physiological stress on the body which then causes the sperm quality to go down as well.
So if there was one thing you should take away from this point, is that stress is a sperm killer. You have to lower your stress levels however you can if you are trying to have a baby.
I know it is easier said than done. But you have to do everything that is in your control to make sure the odds are in your favor. If you are stressed out about having pregnancy issues, you can talk with your partner about it and work on it as a team. You can also work with an IVF clinic and get a step-by-step plan that you can follow to get rid of this problem.
Remember, the more clear your path is to solve this problem, the less stressful you will feel.
Weight
Being overweight has been known to cause fertility issues. Obese men have higher levels of estrogen in their bodies which lower their sperm count and also delays or in some extreme cases, inhibits their ejaculation.
This might be the easiest problem to deal with on this list because the only thing you need to do if you are obese is to get yourself in a caloric deficit and start working out. A nice side benefit of that will be lower stress levels because physical exercise like weight lifting or cardio is known to reduce psychological stress.
Radiation or X-Rays
Exposure to anything radioactive is known to lower sperm production. But, you don’t have to worry about that when you are getting your x-ray done.
The hit in sperm production you get when getting an x-ray is only temporary and it will go back up after a certain point. But if you are hit with high doses of radiation, then it is possible that your sperm production might be reduced permanently.
So something like chemotherapy might cause your sperm count to drop permanently by a significant margin.
But at that point, I will assume that getting rid of cancer is more important than maintaining your sperm count. Because there is no point in having a very high sperm count if you aren’t alive to get your wife pregnant.
Also, most doctors recommend that you freeze your sperm before getting chemotherapy. That way, your frozen sperm will still have that high sperm count and so you won’t have to worry about anything if you want to have a baby once you beat cancer.