Let's talk about sperm
When it comes to fertility, we tend to focus a lot on eggs and follicles, and not a whole lot on sperm. Last I heard, the making babies game required both the egg and the sperm. At Yin Studio, I myself pay lots of attention to the second half of the equation. You may have heard that sperm rates had been dropping but here is the alarming statistics.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) sets the standards for minimum parameters for sperm quality and quantity – here’s a little background on sperm pathology testing for you:
In 1980 the minimum standards were as follows:
Concentration: 20-200 million
Motility: >60%
Morphology: 80%
Fast forward to 2010 and the minimum standards significantly altered:
Concentration: >15 million
Motility: >39%
Morphology: 4%
Let’s put some context as to what these parameters actually indicate.
Concentration.
This figure indicates the total number of sperm in the semen sample. So back in 1980, they were seeing minimum concentration of 20 million sperm in each semen sample, that’s 5 million more than the average in 2010. And not to mention they could be seeing as high as 200 million!
Motility.
This is checking that the sperm are actually moving around. Inactive sperm can not and will not get to the egg for fertilisation, so you see how this is important, right? In 1980 there were averages of over 60% of the sperm moving around, while in 2010, this figure reduced to 39%. There is also a sub-category, known as progressive motility which indicates that not only are they moving, but they are moving in the right direction… we all want them to get to the golden egg and this is how that’s done!
Morphology.
This is where they assess the sperm to make sure they are “normal” ie. they have one head and one tail. There can be sperm with two heads or two tails, wrongly shaped parts, or sometimes there’s just bits and pieces of sperm floating around. In 1980 the average morphology rates were 80%, then in 2010 this figure plummeted to an alarming rate of just 4%. That means that the average male is producing only 4 out of every 100 sperm that are normal shape and size. Just think about that for a minute. Here’s a great analogy I heard once that might give you some context: If you were given a bunch of grapes with 100 grapes on it, and all of them were rotten except for 4, would you eat the 4 grapes that were left? Food for thought (pun intended)!
DOESN’T IVF HELP?
During IVF in particular, low sperm counts are not considered to be a problem due to technological advancements that allow doctors to ‘choose the best’ sperm and inject it directly into the egg (IUI). From a natural medicine point of view, we would consider it important to improve the condition of the sperm overall to increase the likelihood of obtaining a healthy embryo when a healthy egg and sperm meet.
As an example of how sperm health affects embryo viability, consider that a non-smoking woman has been shown to have a 30% higher chance of miscarriage when her partner is a smoker than a couple who are both non-smokers. Studies have also shown that miscarriage and birth defect rates increase when fathers have lower sperm counts.
So in 30 years what do you think changed? There are lots of theories out there and to date none of them have been fully substantiated. Lifestyle, technology, diet, are all thought to be possible contributing factors. What I do see in clinic, is that in those who are willing to make some lifestyle and dietary changes, we can see these numbers change!
So what are some immediate changes that you can start doing today?
Move mobile phones away from front pockets (or better yet, off the person all together)
Get some air down there! It’s important to wear loose fitting underwear and clothing – we know that sperm require an optimal temperate around 34 degrees (or 2-4 degrees below your body temperature) for sperm production to occur
Clean up the diet. Cut out greasy foods, alcohol (yes, really), caffeine and excessive sugar
No more smoking, including marijuana
Reducing exposure to environmental toxins
Get acupuncture & take Chinese Herbs and targeted supplements
It breaks my heart to see so many women go through the process of trying to conceive naturally or with assisted reproductive technologies (like IVF) and ALL the focus is on them. They can often feel like failures or that something is wrong with them. IVF clinics will tell you that the sperm is normal if it meets the above 2010 parameters but you can see that this isn’t optimal sperm and it is so ridiculously easy to turn this around for men. This post isn’t about switching the blame to the other party, it’s about recognising that it takes two to tango, and both parties need to be willing to do the work. The funny thing is, usually the lifestyle changes that are needed to make a baby, set you up for good habits for life, to keep you healthy and happy and enjoying the life of your child!
ACUPUNCTURE FOR IMPROVING SPERM QUALITY
Acupuncture has been found to improve the motility of sperm by improving its zinc:cadmium ratio. Zinc improves sperm motility whereas cadmium causes thicker semen, thereby slowing the sperm. SOD, an antioxidant which increases both sperm count and motility is also positively influenced by acupuncture. Furthermore, acupuncture can increase levels of metenkephalin in sperm (an opioid which allows sperm to remain mobile for longer) . Acupuncture performed around ovulation may increase the chance of conception.
Acupuncture has been shown to increase the percentage of sperm with normal morphology. Sperm takes between 70 – 90 days to fully mature, with some studies showing positive results after only 5 weeks (bi-weekly treatments). Improving morphology with acupuncture has also been shown to improve the fertilisation rate using Intercytoplasmic sperm injection (IUI, an IVF procedure).
Where do the needles go?
Acupuncture points for improving sperm quality are not located on the genitals! Rather, points on the lower back, lower leg &/or abdomen are used. These points are generally painless and are used to increase a person’s strength and vitality, improve digestion, promote good-quality sleep and relieve stress. Any other health problems are simultaneously addressed during an acupuncture treatment, since we believe that your whole wellbeing is important to the health of your sperm. At Yin Studio I consider 10 weekly treatments to be optimal owing to sperm maturation time, although a minimum of 4-5 weekly treatments can still achieve positive results.
One more thing.
Don’t forget to enjoy the baby making process! We can sometimes get bogged down in figures and numbers, and maintaining schedules. Remember why you and your partner got together in the first place and why you want to make a baby together… let that be your focus and remember that the fertility journey, whilst it can be incredibly tough, can also be a wonderful opportunity to bring the two of you together.
About the Author:
Cathy Bell, Doctor of Chinese Medicine has been in practice since 2006. Her passions in clinic lie in the areas of gynaecology, natural conception, fertility management, IVF support, pre and post-partum care, autoimmune disease management, and more and is highly trained in these areas. Over time Cathy has developed an interest in helping people to reach their full health potential, and offers a gentle style of treatment that focuses on the individual’s health goals.