Tips for men: improving fertility

Sperm quality

You can improve your sperm quality through lifestyle choices. Here are some examples of some things that can help, or cause problems, with sperm health.

• Exercise: Regular physical activity can increase blood supply to the testicles and increase libido. If you exercise a lot and regularly it's important not to use performance-enhancing agents. They can negatively affect and decrease sperm quality.

• Smoking: Men need to stop smoking as well as women. Sperm quality is worse for smokers and they have less sperm.

• Alcohol: Regular drinking can reduce sperm quality so the sperm is not as likely to fertilise the egg. Studies have shown that a third of all male infertility is caused by alcohol consumption.

Diet

Eat a diet that positively affects your sperm quality, gives you energy and maintains a healthy weight. Men are more fertile when they maintain a healthy weight. Here are some tips on what to eat to boost your sperm quality.

• Zinc: If you eat lean beef and dark meat on chicken and turkey you can increase your sperm quality.

• Folic acid: Your body needs folic acid. Folic acid is in green vegetables, beans, peanuts and lentils, potatoes and oranges.

• Selenium: Eat fish, meat, eggs and nuts to increase your sperm and testosterone production.

• Vitamin B12: in milk and fish and affects your sperm production.

• Vitamin E: Foods like avocados, almonds and olive oil contains lots of vitamin E. This contributes to better sperm movement.

• Vitamin C: Load up on citrus fruits, peppers, Brussel sprouts and broccoli. Perfect for healthy sperm. Vitamin C also maintains a healthy immune system during and after exercise.

• Coffee: If you drink more than eight hundred milligrams of coffee per day your sperm concentration and amount of sperm can decrease. Reduce your coffee intake to less than two or three cups a day.

Sex and cool testicles

Learn your partner's menstrual cycle and be prepared for ovulation cycles in order to conceive. You might have heard that deep penetration increases the likelihood of fertilisation. This is a myth. It's also a myth that different positions increase the chances of your partner becoming pregnant. However, using lubricant may reduce the chances.

Your testicles work best when they're cool, so avoid a hot shower or sauna before having sex.

Avoid overheating your testicles for long periods of time as it's bad for your sperm production. Don't sit with your laptop on your lap. The warmth from the laptop can make the tails of your sperm wrap themselves around the body of the sperm so they don't swim as well.

Seek help

If you've been trying for a long time to have a baby without success you plan to ask for a sperm analysis. If you've been ill or been taking medication, your sperm quality can change. Make an appointment with your GP to check the quality of your sperm.