Get frisky – as autumn is the ideal time for baby-making

FOR couples thinking about trying for a baby, now might be a good time to start.

Doctors examined sperm samples from 29,000 men from 2001 to 2018 to find trends in semen quality over the course of the year – and found sperm quality is best in autumn and spring.

These ‘in-between seasons’ provide relief from the excesses of Christmas overeating and alcoholic summer barbecues, which can harm men’s fertility.

They are also cooler, which may affect sperm production because men’s testicles tend to overheat in summer. Even the amount of light may have an impact on fertility.

The number of mobile sperm – which swim best – was highest in spring, and the most normallyshaped sperm – best for conceiving – were in autumn.

Study lead author Dr Taraneh Nazem, of Icahn School of Medicine in New York, said: ‘There’s something about these in-between seasons.’

‘Maybe autumn and spring are a little bit more balanced, and temperatures are milder,’ he added.

This latest research, by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Denver, Colorado, is believed to be the largest study ever into how sperm changes during the year.

In 2014 the world’s largest study on the effects of lifestyle on sperm, by the universities of Sheffield and Manchester, also found men’s sperm quality was worse in summer.