Male Infertility

Prevention and Treatment of Male Infertility

diet, nutrition, & alternative treatment

Infertility is defined by doctors as the failure of a couple to achieve pregnancy after a year of unprotected intercourse. In men, infertility is usually associated with a decrease in the number, quality, or motility (power of spontaneous movement) of sperm. There are multiple possible underlying causes for this. Some of the causes of infertility readily respond to natural medicine, while others do not. The specific cause of infertility should always be diagnosed by a physician before considering possible solutions.

Nutritional Supplements for Male Infertility

These are the most important supplements and recommendations.

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Causes

Stress
Excessive alcohol consumption
Certain medications
Smoking and recreational drugs
Exposure to pesticides and herbicides
Temperature of testes
Nutritional deficiencies

Conventional Treatment

Initial treatments may include timing sexual activity for ovulation (usually during the second week of the menstrual cycle), avoiding drugs that may reduce sperm count, and limiting intercourse to no more than every three days, except during ovulation. Artificial insemination can also be used to place sperm directly in the cervix or uterus. Another more advanced procedure is called "in vitro fertilization" (IVF), wherein the man's sperm and the woman's egg (collected from the ovary in a surgical procedure) are combined under controlled conditions in a laboratory. The fertilized embryo is then later implanted into the woman's uterus.

Self Help

Diet & Nutrition

Dietary changes that may be helpful:

Avoid alcohol: In a study of men with poor sperm quality, excessive alcohol consumption was associated with a decrease in the percentage of normal sperm.
Eat organically grown foods: In a study of Danish greenhouse workers, an unexpectedly high sperm count was found among organic farmers.
Vitamin C Vitamin C protects sperm from oxidative damage, improves the quality of sperm in smokers by reducing agglutination)
Zinc (for deficiency) A lack of zinc can reduce testosterone levels and may increase both sperm counts and fertility. In most studies the infertile men took zinc supplements for at least several months. Some doctors recommend 30 mg two times per day. If long term, this treatment should be monitored by a healthcare provider since it can lead to a copper deficiency.
Arginine For men with low sperm count, this amino acid, found in many foods, is needed to produce sperm. Most research shows that several months of L-arginine supplementation increases sperm count, quality, and fertility. However, when the initial sperm count was extremely low (such as less than 10 million per ml), L-arginine supplementation produced little or no benefit.
L-carnitine (3-4 grams per day for four months): Carnitine appears to be necessary for normal functioning of sperm cells. In studies, supplementation helped normalize sperm motility in men with low sperm quality.
Vitamin B12: (injections) B12 is needed to maintain fertility. Vitamin B12 injections have increased sperm counts for men with low numbers of sperm; these results have been duplicated in double-blind research. Men seeking vitamin B12 injections should consult a physician.
Selenium (100 mcg per day for three months): In a double-blind study of 64 infertile men with reduced sperm motility, selenium supplementation significantly increased motility, but had no effect on sperm count.

Herbs that may be helpful

Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) (4 grams per day for three months): Asian ginseng may prove useful for male infertility. A study with 66 men found that supplementation with Asian ginseng led to an improvement in sperm count and sperm motility.

Lifestyle changes that may be helpful

Medications: Some medications can interfere with fertility.
Temperature Too high temperature of the testes can lower sperm production
Environmental exposures Contaminated air, such as from formaldehyde, smoking, and use of recreational drugs may reduce sperm count, cause abnormal sperm shape, or adversely affect semen quality.

Other integrative therapies that may be helpful

Acupuncture

Discussion: Diet & Nutrition

See the detailed discussion of diet and nutrition.

Discussion: Lifestyle

Medications

Some conventional medications can interfere with fertility. If in doubt, men taking prescription drugs should consult their physician.

Temperature

The optimal temperature of the testes for sperm production is slightly lower than body temperature, which is why the testes hang away from the body in the scrotum. Men with low sperm counts are frequently advised to minimize lifestyle factors that may overheat the testes, such as wearing tight (e.g., "bikini-style") underwear or frequently using spas and hot baths.

Air quality

Environmental exposures (e.g., formaldehyde), smoking, and use of recreational drugs (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, hashish) may reduce sperm count or cause abnormal sperm morphology (shape).3 4 Smoking adversely affects the semen quality of infertile men.5

Other Integrative Options

Acupuncture

Acupuncture may be helpful in the treatment of some cases of male infertility due to impairment of sperm function. A controlled study of men with reduced sperm function found that one measure of sperm function significantly improved in the men treated with acupuncture (two times per week for five weeks) compared to controls.50 Similar results have been reported in other studies.51 52 Nevertheless, double-blind trials are needed to determine conclusively whether acupuncture is a useful treatment for male infertility.

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Studies

See research on male infertility.