Dr C: “Don’t panic about low sperm counts”
They may be dropping by two per cent every year, but Dr C says it’s not as scary as it sounds for would-be parents
Nobody knows N exactly why sperm counts are falling, but it’s likely to be many factors, including poor diets, lack of activity, exposure to pollution, smoking and alcohol. We know that male infertility accounts for roughly half of all conception struggles, but it’s just not talked about as much as female fertility.
YOU CAN GET PREGNANT
Sperm counts have dropped 60 per cent in the last 40 years. That sounds shocking, but it’s not time to panic yet. A low sperm count is fewer than 15million sperm per millilitre. If men had 200million 40 years ago, that 60 per cent drop would mean sperms counts are now 80million, which is still way above worrying levels. We’ve gone from hundreds of millions to tens of millions, plus you can still get pregnant with a low sperm count.
BE A HEALTHY COUPLE
Experts say pollution and oestrogen in the water supply, thanks to widespread use of contraceptive pills and HRT, are having an impact, and while you can’t do much about those, there’s plenty you can change. As a couple, be active, eat well and quit smoking. Men need to keep their testicles healthy, too. An Indian study had men take a daily hot bath for a month and a half, and it pretty much killed off their fertility. Another study found that keeping your phone in your pocket “cooked” sperm, so too-warm testes are a no-no.
Another cause of male infertility is varicocele – when the veins in the testes get congested with blood. It warms them up, which affects sperm production, and feels like a little bag of worms that cause a dragging pain. It can impact sperm count, but not always. Undiagnosed STIS can also cause weaker swimmers, and alcohol lowers testosterone levels, causing low-quality and low-quantity sperm production. That tends to affect heavy drinkers, and sperm returns to health when men stop drinking.
If you both get healthy together, it will really up your conception chances. Don’t have too much sex – as this lowers a man’s sperm count considerably – and try to avoid getting into the habit of constantly taking tests and plotting ovulation. This can make sex a chore, and stress is a fertility zapper, too.
TAKE YOUR TIME
If you don’t become pregnant quickly, it doesn’t mean one of you has a problem – it’s normal to take a year. And, importantly, the bottom line is you only need one sperm to make a baby.