The Top 6 Male Infertility Risk Factors

When working with Portland couples with fertility challenges, we love to work with both partners! While one is preparing her womb and balancing her hormones to support a healthy pregnancy, the other can also work on stress reduction, correcting their own health imbalances so that they can offer the best support to their partner.

Specifically when working with male partners, there is a lot we can do to improve Infertility Risk Factors to support sperm amount, quality and motility. Usually the emphasis of fertility care is placed upon women, but male infertility factor accounts for 30 % of fertility issues. Sperm is produced every 90 days approximately, and we have seen dramatic lab results when working on these practical lifestyle changes along with herbal medicine and acupuncture for male infertility. When both partners bring the healthiest genetic material to conception (eggs + sperm) then ultimately this results in a healthier pregnancy and BABY!

Male Infertility Risk Factors:

Tobacco chewing/smoking – Cigarette smoking can be deleterious to male as well as female fertility. Men who smoke have a higher rate of infertility than non-smoking men. This lifestyle habit can lead to a number of male fertility issues like erectile dysfunction, poor sperm motility and low sperm count among others. Men who smoke shortly prior to making a woman pregnant can severely affect the health of the baby he has conceived.
Alcohol consumption – Too much drinking of alcohol can lead to liver disease and can result in male infertility. It also reduces sperm count and quality since the cells that produce sperm cells are destroyed by alcohol. Alcohol drinking also deflates male libido.
Harmful substances exposure – These substances can be heavy metals, radiation, toxins and pesticides among many others. Exposure to them not only cause infertility but can lead to outright sterility. Most of the time, men who handle and/or are exposed to these kinds of materials do not know the harm they can do to their fertility. Also, keep those laptops off of your laps fellas!
Stress – Stress is a normal part of modern day life but excessive stress can cause a lot of health problems in a person. One of the problems it can cause is male infertility. Stress can cause erectile dysfunction and many types of male impotence. To counter this regular mild exercises or meditation can be done to offset stress and maintain a state of healthy fertility.
Nutrition – Eating unhealthy foods such as fast foods and foods high in unsaturated fats can not only lead to infertility but to cardiovascular problems as well. Eating highly nutritious foods: organic green leafy vegetables and meats, healthy fats such as avocados, coconut oil and real butter will help maintain fertility.
Age – Like females, the male reproductive functions decline with age especially after the age of 40. Men 45 years and older have less fertility compared to men in their 20’s to 40’s.

Along with making these lifestyle adjustments, men should take a Men’s Multivitamin which will include zinc, a helpful mineral for healthy sperm. I like Rainbow Light Men’s Once a Day multivitamins because they also include herbs to support prostate health.

Some risk factors are shared for both male and female infertility.

Female Infertility Risk Factors:

The female reproductive system is quite a complex system making it more susceptible to imbalances that may contribute to female infertility. The typical female infertility risk factors can involve:

Tobacco use- You can find the highest rates of infertility in women who smoke. The smoke from the tobacco (which contains large amounts of toxins that come from fertilizers loaded with toxic chemicals) is very harmful to the woman’s eggs. The eggs either die or become weak making it hard for the woman to conceive. The chance of a miscarriage is high among smoking women and furthermore, their smoking impacts the health of their baby to certain degrees.
Alcohol consumption – Too much alcohol intake can easily lead to ovulation disorders and endometriosis. Even drinking one glass of wine per day may lessen your fertility rate. For women experiencing conception difficulties, try to stay away from alcohol.
Sexual history – The pathogens from STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) attacks the tissues of the reproductive system and can destroy the fallopian tubes which then cause infertility.
Excessive exercising – The woman’s menstrual cycle can be disrupted by too much exercising leading to problems with ovulation.
Weight – A woman can be infertile if she is either too thin or too fat. Being too thin may increase a woman’s risk of a miscarriage while being overweight can likely cause her to become infertile.
Age – This is one of the most common risks of infertility not only for women but for men as well. When reaching 30, women gradually lose her capacity to be fertile. Upon her mid 30’s this slow gradual process starts to accelerate and from 35 to 45 years of age, her chances of getting pregnant gets cut down to about 50%. Beyond 45, the likelihood of infertility becomes higher and higher as she approaches menopause.

For a complete health evaluation and individualized fertility plan, please give us a call to schedule your appointment at (503) 281-0030