The Preconception check list: How good is the sperm?
Is it coming up to that really exciting time when you and your partner are thinking of having some little ones??
Not wanting fertility to be difficult??
We hear you!
Here is what we wish everyone knew before trying.
5 things you need for easy conception
Enough good sperm
Clear tubes so egg & sperm can meet
Known ovulation & when to time
Enough progesterone to hold a pregnancy
Good Iron & thyroid levels!
Reasons to test the sperm before you try
Without a test, you can’t tell if the sperm is good or not
There’s a global decline in sperm - is it affecting you too?
It takes 2-3 months to make new sperm, sometimes longer
The better the sperm, the quicker the conception
Miscarriages before 9 weeks can be due to poor sperm
It takes 2 to make a baby
Let’s break that down
How do you know if the sperm is good or not?
Ladies get clues about their fertility from their cycles & periods.
If there are issues there, it’s likely there are some fertility issues and they are often proactive about their health before trying.
Men don’t get that feedback.If things seem to work ok, it’s assumed all is good.
Obviously, lumps, cuts, weird colours & smells indicate issues and need to be checked out.
Beyond that, you can’t really tell if the swimmers are athletes or blanks.
Get tested - then you know for sure.
2. Global sperm levels are declining - does this include you?
In the last 50 years, all the measurements of what constitutes great sperm have dropped globally.
This includes a whopping 62% drop in total sperm count globally.
Let’s repeat that: A 62% drop! That’s so much!!
There are many reasons for this which we shall explain in upcoming blogs.
But for now?
Please get the sperm tested or retested if it’s been more than 6 months since your last test. Things change.
3. Test before you try. It takes at least 3 months to fix
How healthy were you 3 months ago?
The amount of time it takes to make new sperm is approximately 2-3 months.
Add extra time for:
Getting test results back
Processing the info if there’s an issue (again ladies often know for years!)
Seeking assistance with your fertility
Getting more tests done to find the cause of the low numbers
Making solid changes to diet, sleep, nutrient intake, stress management (aka your health!)
This can take weeks or months depending on the person & their levels of motivation for change.
Once those changes have been made and are CONSISTENT - this is when the new good sperm are being made. Not before.
Now add 2-3 months for them to be ready. This is why testing BEFORE conception is sooooo recommended. It can shave months or years off your conception journey!
4. The better the sperm, the quicker the conception
If you could choose a quick (& fun!) path to making a baby, we know you would.
According to the World Health Organisation study of men who fathered children within a year - these are the levels you need to make a baby.
5. Miscarriages before 9 weeks can be due to poor sperm
It used to be thought that if the sperm wasn’t good enough to make a person, you just wouldn’t fall pregnant.
Now research is showing that poor sperm quality can be a cause of miscarriage, especially recurrent miscarriages up to 9 weeks.
This is because a dodgy sperm can enter the egg, the egg will try & fix any questionable DNA for a while (how cool is that?!) but often can’t completely fix it & conception shuts down.
6. It takes 2 to make a baby
It takes two people’s DNA to make a baby, so why wouldn’t you look at 2 people's fertility proactively?
As there are very few things a doctor can give a man to improve his fertility - the responsibility has been falling mostly on women to do all the testing & treatments.
It’s refreshing to see this slowly changing & emphasis increasingly on both people’s health for conception.
We are here to help.
Embrace Acupuncture
& men’s fertility
Nothing makes us happier than seeing our clients happy, healthy & pregnant!
Sometimes that involves working with both partners.
We value high-quality treatments that are tailored to suit YOU specifically, rather than being a ‘generic men’s fertility treatment’.
In our clinic we:
Refer you for testing at a proper testing clinic & get results sent to us in a couple of days - no GP appointment & follow-up appointment is needed!
If there’s an issue with the numbers, we do a thorough consultation (poor sperm = poor health - it’s all connected!) & recommend getting some blood tests done to try & find the cause of those low numbers
We do regular Acupuncture to relax you, treat your other health symptoms and improve pelvic blood flow to regulate hormones & make great sperm (no points near the groin!).
We prescribe herbs & supplements specifically tailored to your symptoms & test results to give your body the building blocks it needs to be really healthy
Blood tests & semen analysis are repeated to know everything improving as it should be based on our treatments
Easy!
If you’d like some help, make an appointment below.