The Doctor explains - Male Fertility

 

Male infertility is when a man has a poor chance of making his female partner falling pregnant. Although it might rarely be due to genetic factors, general health, being overweight, or having a chronic illness, it is usually due to a poor quality of his sperm.

 

The process of conception (i.e. the sperm joining a female egg to produce an embryo) requires a few things:

  1. the sperm needs to be placed in the female reproductive system and this is done primarily during sexual intercourse and ejaculation (unless assisted fertility with sperm placement is performed)
  2. The sperm (which needs to be in adequate numbers - usually millions) will need to first become LIQUID (a process called sperm liquefaction) and then swim inside the female tract to reach the egg.
  3. Once the sperm reaches the egg, it needs to be strong enough to penetrate the egg
  4. The final factor that will determine successful fertilisation of the egg is the genetic code (i.e. DNA information) of the sperm.

 

If there is any issue with the above parameters then it will be more difficult for a male to make his partner fall pregnant. The good news is that there are particular supplements that help with the individual parameters:

Sperm Count / Concentration

  • Co-Enzyme Q (200mg twice daily)
  • Selenium (200mg daily)
  • Zinc (200mg twice daily)
  • Vitamin C (1000mg daily)
  • Lycopene (10mg daily)
  • L-Arginine (1000mg daily)
  • Vitamin D (according to plasma concentration of Vitamin D)

Sperm Motility

  • Co-Enzyme Q (200mg twice daily)
  • Selenium (200mg daily)
  • Zinc (200mg twice daily)
  • Vitamin E (1000IU daily)
  • Vitamin C (1000mg daily)
  • Lycopene (10mg daily)
  • L-Carnitine (1000gr twice daily)
  • L-Arginine (1000mg daily)
  • Vitamin D (according to plasma concentration of Vitamin D)

Sperm DNA Health / Morphology

  • Selenium (200mg daily)
  • Co-Enzyme Q (200mg twice daily)
  • Vitamin E (1000IU daily)
  • Vitamin C (1000mg daily)
  • NAC or N-Acetyl-Cysteine (600mg daily)
  • Lycopene (10mg daily)
  • RALA or Right Alpha Lipoic Acid (200mg twice daily)
  • Vitamin D (according to plasma concentration of Vitamin D)

Sperm Viscosity

  • Vitamin E (1000IU daily)

Disclaimer: The appropriate use of supplements to aid fertility should ideally be discussed with your fertility doctor.