What’s wrong with the sperm?
If a man wants to improve his sperm quality, the first step is to find out what is wrong with his sperm. This can be determined with the help of a sperm analysis: A spermiogram provides information about the quantity, vitality, motility and appearance (morphology) of the sperm cells – all factors that are important for sperm quality. Doctors can therefore use these parameters to assess the sperm quality and ultimately the fertility of a man.
As a general rule, sperm should be fast, move forward well, be well formed and swim around in sufficient numbers. If one or more of these points are not present, sperm quality is poor and male fertility is limited. Examples of pathological findings in the spermiogram:
- Oligozoospermia: The seminal fluid contains less than 20 million sperm cells per milliliter.
- Asthenozoospermia: There are too few normally motile sperm in the ejaculate.
- Teratozoospermia: Too many sperm cells in the ejaculate are malformed, too few are normally formed.
- Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT): There are too few sperm in the ejaculate, too few of which are normally motile and too many of which are malformed.
- Azoospermia: There are no sperm at all in the ejaculate.
A mediocre spermiogram can certainly improve. As the seminal fluid is always newly formed, the result is only a snapshot and can vary. It takes around three months for a sperm cell to mature – so you need a little patience if you want to improve your sperm quality. It therefore makes sense to have your sperm tested again after a few months. However, the more pronounced or severe the underlying disorder is, the more difficult it is to improve sperm quality.
What damages sperm quality?
Numerous external factors are suspected of impairing male fertility, for example saunas, cycling, cell phone radiation or heated car seats. The data on this is inconsistent and the influence of each individual factor cannot be assessed beyond doubt. If you want to improve sperm quality, you should nevertheless keep the following possible influencing factors in mind:
Temperature
The best production temperature for sperm is a few degrees below body temperature. The venous plexus of the testicles provides the necessary cooling. However, if the testicles are congested in tight trousers or due to a lot of sitting, the cooling system may no longer function optimally. The spermiogram can also be worse after a feverish illness due to the temperature.
Lifestyle
Environmental influences and pollutants
Fertility-damaging chemicals and pollutants include plasticizers and plant protection products (pesticides) as well as polychlorinated biphenyls, plant substances and hormones that accumulate in the environment.
Medication
The use of anabolic steroids to build muscle, but also antibiotics, antidepressants, blood pressure and gastrointestinal medications have a negative impact on sperm quality.
Diseases & injuries
Mumps or the resulting testicular inflammation (mumps orchitis), chlamydia infection, bacteria in the ejaculate, congenital malformations (e.g. undescended testicles), hormone deficiency, genetic abnormalities (e.g. Klinefelter syndrome) and tumor diseases can result in poor sperm quality or block transport routes. The same applies to operations and injuries.
Age
As with women, age is also a limiting factor for fertility in men. From the age of 40, sperm quality slowly declines, sperm become slower, fewer and accumulate more chromosomal damage or genetic defects.
Improve sperm quality: Medication, vitamins and co
Food supplements, vitamin supplements and medication are intended to stimulate sperm production, increase fertility and improve sperm quality. But what really helps?
Improving sperm quality with medication
Improve sperm quality with certain vital substances
Many vitamins and minerals are said to improve sperm quality, which is why those affected like to take the widely advertised and expensive vital substances. All of these treatments are considered to be individual attempts at healing and are not standard therapy. The following correlations exist:
- Zinc: Marker for the function of the prostate; if there is a zinc deficiency, the sperm use up their energy before they reach the egg cell.
- Antioxidants: bind free radicals, reduce oxidative stress; possibly better pregnancy rates with antioxidants.
- Coenzyme Q10: antioxidant effect, important for the energy supply of the cell; appears to increase sperm motility.
- Glutathione: important for the fusion of egg and sperm cells; researchers have found lower concentrations in the sperm cells of stressed men.
- Selenium: important for normal testicular development, sperm formation (spermatogenesis), sperm motility and function.
- Folic acid: deficiency appears to increase the susceptibility of sperm to malformations.
None of these substances (nor omega-3, cartinine, vitamin C and D) have been proven to be effective in the treatment of male infertility. There are no general treatment recommendations.
Improve sperm quality with Maca?
Improve sperm quality with the medicinal mushroom Cordyceps?
The Chinese caterpillar fungus Cordyceps sinensis from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is also said to improve sperm quality. However, there are no conclusive studies on the effectiveness of the medicinal mushroom, which is not classified as a drug, in humans.
Improve sperm quality: Tips
If your spermiogram is mediocre, it is advisable to review your current lifestyle and try out a few things. You may be able to improve sperm production and increase your sperm count before your next examination.
The following tips may help to improve sperm quality:
- Moderate alcohol consumption at most
- Avoid nicotine, drugs and anabolic steroids
- Check medication intake and discontinue some preparations after consulting a doctor if necessary
- A diet rich in vitamins and minerals: lots of fruit, vegetables (organically grown for lower pesticide exposure), wholegrains, fish, nuts, little fatty food
- Reduce overweight and underweight
- Regular exercise (e.g. jogging, swimming)
- Reduce stress
- Avoid overheating the testicles
- Avoid contact with harmful substances
Improving sperm quality is also possible with sex: about once or twice a week seems optimal. With longer intervals, the immune system breaks down the sperm cells, and if ejaculation is too frequent, the amount of ejaculate decreases.
The tips mentioned above can indeed improve your sperm quality – but they do not guarantee an increase in fertility and fertility, especially not in the case of a severe disorder. In some cases, however, surgical intervention can help: If the vas deferens are blocked or severed, an operation (microsurgical refertilization) can improve sperm quality.
But even if none of this helps, with today’s reproductive medicine techniques, men have a good chance of conceiving a child despite poor sperm quality. Just one potent sperm cell is theoretically enough. This can be surgically extracted from the testicular tissue (TESE and MESA) and used for ICSI. If none of the above measures have been able to improve sperm quality, there is no need to despair.
