Can Men Prepare For Conception?

Absolutely, and they should!

Whether conceiving naturally or via IUI or IVF, the male side of the equation contributes half the genetic material for the baby—and that presents a huge opportunity to contribute to the future health of his child.

Men can improve antioxidant status, improve detoxification and cellular function, and decrease the harm of stress and poor lifestyle. All of these moves improve the chances they will conceive a healthy child.

So what should men do?

Semen analysis is the main tool, of course. But if this checks out and the couple is still not conceiving, dig further.

• For couples who experience the heartbreak of miscarriage, never conceive at all, or who can’t get good quality embryos from IVF, the male partner needs an evaluation from a urologist.

• He may benefit from checking DNA fragmentation. Semen analysis does not reveal the integrity of the DNA contained within the sperm head.

• An assessment and treatment from approaches like Chinese medicine or naturopathy can be invaluable. Nutrition work, stress reduction and targeted supplements or botanicals can all contribute to better overall health and increased reproductive capability.

In this talk Dr. Paul Turek, a reproductive urologist (i.e. male fertility doctor) discusses why he has become a proponent of lifestyle change for men. Watch especially from minutes 4-10, where Dr. Turek talks about 31 men he followed in his practice. These couples all experienced infertility for a mean duration of 1.5 years. After medical evaluation, all the men were ‘cleared’, as in no specific diagnosis was identified. But they all received some type of lifestyle change recommendation. These varied from stress reduction, acupuncture, yoga, massage, better nutrition, weight loss, or antioxidant supplements, depending on the man’s issue. None were prescribed medication, surgery or procedures. Guess what? After a year’s time, 65% of couples conceived naturally and 16% became pregnant from IUI or IVF.

I hope these encouraging numbers inspire partners to get help and take great care of themselves when working through the stress of infertility.