Do you want to be a father? As a man it’s your sperm that counts. Sperm is a male’s reproductive cell that fertilizes a female’s egg. It furnishes half the genetic information necessary for a new organism to develop, or your biological child to become a reality.
Nature’s way to fatherhood requires depositing your sperm in a woman’s vagina during her period of ovulation. (Two other methods are artificial insemination and adoption.) On a monthly basis, for a sperm and egg to fuse together at the right time and place is about a 25% chance. The right time is ovulation and right place is the fallopian tubes.
The ability of sperm to move is known as motility and the degree of movement among the sperm cells varies. To get to the right place, a sperm cell must move through a woman’s cervix and uterus. And not all the sperm you produce is in shape to make this trip. But you can increase your fatherhood odds by ejaculating a large quantity of healthy sperm.
How? There are some recommended steps you can take to increase the count and motility of your sperm, such as:
- not deficient in zinc
- increase physical activity
- go easy on the alcohol consumption
- avoid excessive heat to keep scrotal area cool
- no smoking, illegal drug use (marijuana, cocaine, heroine)
- healthy diet including plenty of antioxidants & omega 3, less sugar
- reduce stress to prevent interfering with hormones needed for sperm production
- avoid exposure to endocrine disrupters, environmental chemicals, toxins (e.g. pesticides)
- keep at a healthy weight because obesity may have negative impact on sperm count & motility
- monogamous relationship to reduce chance of STDs (chlamydia, gonorrhea) which cause infertility
And do not use lubricants during intercourse because they can hamper sperm motility.
Also, certain drugs can cause fertility problems, like:
- anti-androgens
- anabolic steroids
- tricyclic antidepressants
- calcium channel blockers
- chemotherapy & radiation treatment for cancer
One way around this issue is to “bank” some sperm beforehand.
Finally, age matters. Beyond life’s mid point your sperm count and motility can decline.
It is best to start your count and motility improvement regime a few months ahead of making a baby. Why? Because it takes a couple of months to make sperm.
