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Starting a Family - How to Improve Your Chances of Becoming a Father - Naturally

Updated on October 8, 2017
Peter Geekie profile image

A retired pharmaceutical and industrial chemist, author and historian specialising in military events.

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If you are looking to start a family but are having a few problems it may be wise to improve your chances by looking at some natural methods. This should be read in conjunction with my similar article to naturally improve conception chances – Female. (http://petergeekie.hubpages.com/hub/Naturally-improve-conception-chance-Female?done )

A sperm takes about 3 months to reach maturity and during this period there is a risk of damage from environmental toxins. The average sperm count in the Western world has dropped by some 50% in the last 50 years and this should be a matter of great concern to humankind. What you need is strong healthy sperm that are like Olympic swimmers. Work carried out by the Medical Research Council hypothesises that much of the problem is because of xeno-oestrogens are given off by many of the modern chemicals used in our current environment. You can reduce this risk by avoiding plastic packaging and ensuring your diet contains organic fruit, vegetables and meat. It can be further helped by storing products in glass, avoiding the use of cling film and removing the product from plastic packaging and wrapping in greaseproof paper.

One of the best ways to protect mature sperm is to ensure it does not become overheated. This entails keeping the testicles cool, avoiding very hot baths or wearing tight underclothes. Excess alcohol and smoking particularly adversely affect sperm and it would be wise to reduce or cut it out altogether. Research reveals that fathers who smoke have children more at risk of childhood cancers than those that don’t, even if the mother is a non-smoker. It is felt that tobacco toxins damage the sperm DNA and it is very important that both parents who want to conceive give up smoking and any recreational drugs. Another very important area to consider is the need to ensure that both you and your partner are free of any genito-urinary infections. In surveys, 9 out of every 15 men were unaware they were suffering from infections which may prevent conception.

There are several supplements that can improve the quality of the sperm. Zinc is probably the most important and a zinc citrate supplement of 15-30mg per day together with 1mg of copper, will certainly boost the sperm count. This can also be assisted by eating shellfish (including the legendary oyster) which are rich in zinc.

Vitamin E is both a powerful antioxidant and will guard against cell damage caused by environmental toxins. In clinical trials, 100iu produced healthy sperm and an increased conception rate. Buy only a natural vitamin E, those synthetic types (tocopherol) do not work in the same way. Often the supplement contains Selenium and this is an added bonus.

Vitamin B12 will help improve the sperm count and aid mobility. A supplement of 1000mcg (micrograms) per day is the appropriate dosage.

L-arginine and L-taurine are amino acids and both important to the formation of healthy sperm and are available as supplements.

Finally, there is an Ayurvedic product by the name of Ashwaganda which has been likened to Ginseng. There are no clinical trials to back this up but the material is an adaptogen which helps cope with stress that may damage the health of the sperm. The dosage is 120mg per day and anecdotal evidence attests to its potency in male fertility.

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© 2012 Peter Geekie

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