10 Tips for getting pregnant with low sperm count
Between a couple there can be so many factors that can impact and affect the ability of you and your partner to get pregnant. One of the reasons that will surely affect your chances to get pregnant is low sperm count. You can get to know about this problem of low sperm count by two ways :
-
You can take semen analysis at as provider's office
-
You can perform an at-home sperm test.
The results can come as a shock for the person and the couple when they are trying to conceive a baby. Sperm count has a great impact on fertility and pregnancy.
Low sperm count:
It is also known as oligozoospermia and it can be defined as a condition in which there are less than 39 million swimmers ( sperm) per ejaculation. This is regarded as one of the main reasons for male infertility. For conceiving, the sperm needs to fertilize the egg, thus, low sperm count leads to the reduction of the number of sperm production. Low sperm produced means only a small number of sperm could reach near the egg and this makes it very unlikely to successfully conceive.
In many recorded cases, the cause for the lesser number of sperm is unknown. But there are certain factors that directly affect the production of sperm and health of the sperm. Those factors are:
-
Drug use and substance abuse
-
Medications and medical conditions
-
Trauma
-
Stress
-
Scrotum or testicles suffering with abnormalities
-
Genetics
-
Poor diet
-
Exposure to chemical and pollution
-
Radiations
-
Undescended testes
You will not be able to change all the factors that lead to low sperm count and infertility, but there are certain ways that will help you increase your chance to impregnate your female partner even with low sperm count.
Few steps to increase pregnancy chances with low sperm count:
1. Exercise:
You should be adding weightlifting in your workout routine and some outdoor activities too such as running, walking, hiking, yoga, water sports etc. Following an inactive and sedentary lifestyle will surely lower your sperm count. Studies and researchers have found and proved that people who exercise outdoors and are in the habit of doing strength training have higher sperm count.
2. Balanced diet:
Having food in the right proportion and having all the nutrients have a great effect on your health (positive). When a person's diet consists of fruits, whole grains, poultry, low-fat dairy, nuts, vegetables and seafood, he will surely have a higher sperm count and quality. This suggests that the food we eat impacts all areas of our body health and food that is recommended to us for our overall health supports male fertility too. Following a Mediterranean diet will surely help the person to have better quality and number of sperm.
3. Having a healthy weight:
People who are overweight (obese) are more likely to have lower sperm count, less motile, abnormal morphology and bad quality of sperm. The obese person could try to lose weight and this will help him improve his sperm health and lower the risks of other diseases which are caused because of obesity such as heart diseases and diabetes. You should know what your healthy weight is. If you do not know about it then you need to consult your doctor or dietitian for proper support and weight management.
4. Get sufficient sleep:
Getting proper sleep is very necessary for a person. A person getting less sleep impacts almost all the areas of his health. Studies have found that those people who have poor sleep have low sperm count and sperms are less motile than those people who are having good and proper sleep.
For improving your night's sleep you can follow these simple tips:
-
Waking up and going to bed at the same time every day.
-
Not have much screen time and it should be limited (TV, phone, laptop etc).
-
Sleep in a cool and dark room.
-
Naps in the daytime should be avoided.
-
In the afternoon and evening there should be no intake of caffeine.
-
You should have a relaxing night time routine which can easily put you to sleep.
5. Vitamins:
You can take vitamins if you feel there is a need for them. There are some vitamins and supplements which are known to boost and support production of healthy sperms. Vitamin C nutritional supplements are known to be associated with the improvement of sperm health. Vitamin C supplements which you can consume are selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, carnitine, zinc and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Some supplements are only used to meet the nutrients demand of those nutrients which are deficient. This is used in cases where the cause for low sperm count is because of a particular nutrient deficiency. You should talk to your doctor and consult about the supplement before taking one.
6. Limiting alcohol:
Most studies and cases have indicated that people with drinking problems have bad sperm health. But alcohol in limited quantities will surely not affect the sperm count and quality of a person whereas people who drink heavily have changes in their semen volume and sperm morphology (shape and size of the sperm). However, there is still no surety that moderate alcoholism affects sperm health or not. This is still debatable. The effect of alcohol on your body depends on your body metabolizing the amount of alcohol taken. If you have a problem with low sperm count then it is suggested that you should stop drinking.
7. Quit smoking:
There are several health related issues associated with tobacco and cigarette consumption. Smoking cigarettes could have a great impact on the health of the sperm of a person. Studies say that people who smoke have 19% less concentration of sperm than those people who do not smoke.
Conclusion:
It is very hard for people to deal with infertility. If the cause for your infertility is low sperm count following these easy tips will surely help you get pregnant. You should know that your overall health affects the health of your sperms greatly. You should have a healthy lifestyle because sometimes your general wellness and proper lifestyle might help in the improvement of sperm count. By far there is no such way or solution to fix infertility. But I can assure you that these healthy lifestyle tips could help you get pregnant.
+1.svg)
