Christmas Sale Now On!
🎁View our festive offers here 🎁

🎁 Christmas Sale Now On! View our festive offers here 🎁

0
BLACK FRIDAY – Up to 50% Off Tests, Refills & Supplements

How can I improve my sperm health fast?

How Can I Improve My Sperm Health Fast
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

We use Advanced AI to translate our blog content. If the translation isn’t perfect, or if you have any queries about the content, our medical team is readily available to answer. Simply email [email protected]

If you’re trying to conceive and have just found out your sperm health isn’t exactly where you want it to be – you might be asking the question – How can I improve my sperm health fast? 

And the truth is – whilst sperm test results can fluctuate day to day – you can’t generally overhaul your true sperm quality overnight. However, you might be able to make improvements quicker than you think. In this blog, we’ll outline the general timeline of improving your sperm health and give some tips on the lifestyle factors that can have the biggest impact. 

The life cycle of sperm

Like anything when it comes to our health, it’s hard/impossible for sperm parameters to dramatically improve overnight. But unlike female fertility issues and egg quality, which can take quite a long time to address – sperm health can often be boosted within 3 months. That’s because sperm generally regenerates every 72 days. So, roughly every 3 months you have another shot (so to speak) at having a better and stronger batch of sperm cells. 

You can learn more about sperm production and the life cycle of sperm cells here. 

A proactive approach 

Because of this three-month window, we try to encourage guys to get proactive about their fertility and test their sperm before trying to conceive. If you want to start trying for a baby in April and test your sperm and take steps to improve it in January, when April comes around you should hopefully see a jump up in quality. 

However, if you are already in the midst of your TC journey – that’s ok! There is always time and room for improvement. Now, there are always cases when sperm health cannot be improved by lifestyle changes alone – if you’re dealing with Klinefelter syndrome or Azoospermia for example – but if your swimmers are just looking a bit depleted and lethargic, a healthier lifestyle could help.   

What changes will have the biggest impact on my sperm health? 

Wherever you’re at in your fertility journey, it’s always worth looking to get your sperm operating at an optimal level. Here are some key lifestyle factors that you can focus on to get your sperm operating at its best. 

Quit Smoking

We all know smoking is one of the worst things you can do for your overall health – but it also has a real effect on the quality of your sperm. If you are a smoker one of the best things you can do for your fertility is to quit. The toxins in cigarette smoke not only mess with your hormone production but they can also cause oxidative stress down in your testicles, so your sperm don’t develop or work as they should. Quitting smoking is no easy feat, especially if you have been a smoker for a long time. Speak to your doctor if you need some advice and support and we also have some great tips on quitting smoking here. 

Reach a healthy weight 

BMI is another factor closely linked to male fertility. Men who are obese or overweight are more likely to struggle to conceive and have suboptimal sperm parameters, so if you’re in these categories, working towards a healthier weight could have a big difference in your sperm health. Again, this is not an overnight fix and we certainly wouldn’t advise going on a crash diet or over-exercising, as both could actually have a negative effect on your swimmers. Instead look to make sustainable, healthy lifestyle changes that are kind to your body – and your sperm. If you’re not very active right now, take up regular exercise, and try to make your diet more balanced and nutritious, which brings us on to…

Eating healthily 

Even if you are at a ‘healthy’ weight, you might not be having the most nutritious, balanced diet (here’s looking at the guys that can still stay ripped whilst having a McDonald’s breakfast every day). Sperm thrive when you’re fueling your body with healthy, whole foods – especially ones that contain sperm-friendly vitamins. Think oily fish for omega-3, peppers for antioxidants and dark, leafy greens for folate. That doesn’t mean you can’t have the occasional cheat meal, but try to include as many sperm superfoods as you can in your meal plan – you can get a whole list of them right here.

Avoid heat 

Testicles (and sperm) love cool environments, and heat damage can be a real kicker to your sperm quality. If you are taking daily saunas at the gym or using a hot tub regularly – stop. It might not improve your sperm health overnight, but there’s a good chance you will see a boost in their count and activity quite quickly. Heat is also one of the main reasons people are advised to stop cycling if their sperm health is low. Generally, we encourage all forms of exercise when trying to conceive, but if you are doing daily endurance cycling (where your balls are very constricted and hot between your lycra shorts and saddle) you might want to ease off a bit and see if your sperm quality improves. 

There is rarely a quick fix when it comes to our health, and the same goes for our sperm, but making sustainable lifestyle improvements will not only help better your fertility – but your overall quality of life!  Our ExSeed at-home test comes with an app full of more tailored advice to help you improve your sperm parameters – learn more here.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
ExSeed home sperm test kit 2 test
ExSeed Home Sperm Test Kit (2 tests)

£74.99

ExSeed-Refill-Kit.png
Refill Kit Monthly Subscription

£24.99 / month

Christmas Combi
ExSeed Combi

£24.99£74.99

More to explore

ExSeed home sperm test kit 2 test
ExSeed Home Sperm Test Kit (2 tests)

£74.99

Christmas Combi
ExSeed Combi

£24.99£74.99

Christmas 5 test refill
ExSeed Refill Kit (5 tests)

£64.99

Wearing tight pants and underwear

Studies show that men who wear looser underwear have higher sperm concentration and total sperm count compared to men who wear tighter underwear. So, lose the tight clothes and wear something loose to give your testicles some air.

CONCLUSION: learn more about how heat can affect sperm quality here.

Stress

Besides higher mortality rate and various diseases, stress is associated with low sperm quality. Stress is known to be associated with lower testosterone levels and oxidative stress with both playing an essential role in producing and maintaining healthy sperm cells.

CONCLUSION: If you feel stressed, we recommend you get some help so you can have a balanced mental health. For a stress management guide, download the ExSeed app for free and start your personalized action plan today.

Physical activity

Scientific studies show that men who are physically active have better semen parameters than men who are inactive. Fertility specialists also state that regular physical activity has beneficial impact on sperm fertility parameters and such a lifestyle can enhance the fertility status of men.

Prioritizing exercise can help improve your overall health and result in healthy, fast swimming sperm cells that have good chances of fertilizing an egg.

CONCLUSION: Try incorporating exercise in your weekly schedule to you ensure exercising at least twice weekly. We recommend a combination of cardio training and strength exercise. Read more about exercise and male fertility on our blog.

Nutrition

Fast Food
Processed foods damage the health of sperm-producing cells and cause oxidative stress, which lead to poorer sperm quality. Heavy consumption of junk food (every week) can increase the likelihood of infertility since men who consume vast amounts of unhealthy food are at risk of having poor sperm quality. Besides harming your fertility, junk food enlarges your waistline, harms your cardiovascular system, kidneys, and more.

Vegetables
Eating more fruit and vegetables can increase your sperm concentration and motility. It’s important that you consume a healthy diet filled with antioxidants and that you eat vegetables every day. Foods such as apricots and red bell peppers are high in vitamin A, which improves male fertility by nurturing healthier sperm. Men who are deficient in this vitamin tend to have slow and sluggish sperm.

Sugary snacks/beverages: several times a week Excessive consumption of high sugar items can lead to oxidative stress, which negatively impacts testosterone levels and sperm motility. Sugary snacks and beverages are also highly associated with obesity and low fertility.
CONCLUSION: To boost sperm quality, stay away from fast food, processed food, and sugary snacks or beverages. You need to implement a healthy prudent diet filled with necessary superfoods needed for good sperm production. Check out our guide to Male Fertility Superfoods. For personalized guidance and support on how you can start improving your sperm health, check out the Bootcamp.

Heat

Direct heat can inhibit optimal sperm production and cause Sperm DNA damage. Sperm cells like environments that are a couple of degrees lower than body temperature. Avoid overheating from warm blankets, seat warmers, heat from your laptop, hot showers, and saunas.

Cigarette smoking

The exposure to tobacco smoke has significant negative effects on semen quality. The damage of cigarettes and nicotine of course depends on how many cigarettes you smoke per day and for how long, but even low usage (up to 10 cigarettes / day) can inhibit healthy sperm production.  

CONCLUSION: Stay as far away from cigarette smoking as possible if you care about your general health and your fertility. Read more here.

Cell phone

When you have your cell phone in your front pocket, your testicles are exposed to electromagnetic radiation, which studies have shown to damage the sperm cells. Put your phone in the back pocket of your pants or in your jacket pocket.

BMI

There is a clear association between obesity and reduced sperm quality. At least part of the reason for this is that obese men may have abnormal reproductive hormonal profiles, which can impair sperm production and lead to infertility. 

A BMI higher than 30 can lead to several processes in the body (overheating, increase in oxidative stress in the testes, sperm DNA damage, erectile dysfunction) that can have a negative impact on male fertility. This can result in problems when trying to conceive.  

CONCLUSION: BMI is one of the risk factors that influence semen quality and, for example, sperm motility.  

Alcohol

A beer or glass of wine now and then do not really harm sperm quality. But excess alcohol drinking (more than 20 units per week) can reduce the production of normally formed sperm needed for a successful pregnancy.

CONCLUSION: If you want to stay safe, stay under 14 units of alcohol per week. For more information on how alcohol can affect male fertility, take a look at our blog: “Alcohol and Sperm Quality”.

Age

Studies show that women younger than 35 and men younger than 40 have a better chance of getting pregnant. Men can produce sperm cells almost through their entire life, but the sperm cell DNA is more fragile and prone to damage after the age of 40.

As men age, their testes tend to get smaller and softer resulting in a decline in sperm quality and production. These changes are partly because of an age-related decrease in testosterone level, which plays a very important role in sperm

production. Higher male age (>40 years) is not only associated with a decline in sperm production but also with increased sperm DNA fragmentation and worsened morphology (shape) and motility (movement). These negative effects make the sperm cells less qualified for egg fertilization.

CONCLUSION: with an age under 40, you shouldn’t have to worry much about age as a factor in itself. However, studies have shown a slow decline after the age of 30-35 years

and if you are above 40 years of age, your sperm quality can be affected due to increased sperm DNA damage resulting in a decrease of sperm motility and concentration. Remember that you cannot evaluate the quality of a sperm sample by just looking at it – this requires a sperm analysis.