Supplements for Optimizing Sperm Health
Posted by Paige Brown
GUYS!
Pay attention. Fertility acupuncture seems like a girl thing right? Well it’s true that a lot of our patients are women, because let’s face it, things with us girls are a bit more complicated. BUT! GUYS, pay attention!
I know your wife might be dragging you to this Initial Consultation and you’d probably rather be anywhere else instead of talking to me about your sperm health but the statistics aren’t wrong.
Did you know that 40% of all infertility diagnosis is due to male factor and 20% is due to combined female and male factor? So basically male and female factors play an equal role. That’s a heck of a lot more than you expected right?
If you suffer from male factor infertility you are NOT ALONE!
But it’s okay, there are things you can do to optimize your sperm health. Aside from regular acupuncture treatments and diet, there are many supplements we recommend to increase sperm parameters including motility, concentration and health.
Here are a few supplements to consider when optimizing sperm health:
Coenzyme Q10
Studies show that COQ10 improves sperm motility and fertilization rates. COQ10 is actually found in the mitochondria of the midpiece of the sperm. All sperm cell activity, processes and movement depend on CoQ10 and its availability within the cell. So the more CoQ10 you have, the better your sperm cells can function. In fact, the more CoQ10 there is, the better the sperm cell can travel to the egg for fertilization.
Ubiquinol- the active form of CoQ10 is also a well known antioxidant which plays a huge part in maintaining the health of your cells. Antioxidants neutralize free-radicals which actually steal electrons from the lipids (or fat) in your cell membrane, which results in cell damage. We need healthy sperm to make healthy babies!
Studies show that increasing our antioxidant intake with supplementation and diet can have a profound effect on the health of your sperm cells.
Omega-3
You’ve probably heard a lot about Omega-3 fatty acids and its overall health benefits from decreasing inflammation in the body, increasing brain and nerve development in infants, and lowering the risk of heart disease. In fact- I bet you are already taking it. But did you know that studies show this incredible supplement is also being used to increase sperm concentration and motility? There are different types of Essential Fatty Acids but EPA and DHA are the ones you should be consuming.
Vitamin D
Over the years Vitamin D has been well known for maintaining calcium homeostasis within the body and promoting bone health and mineralization. There is also evidence that Vitamin D helps balance reproductive processes in both men and women. In fact, vitamin D receptors have actually been found inside the reproductive tissues of men and women. This vitamin is known to help increase testosterone levels and increase sperm quality and motility by promoting the synthesis of ATP, or energy supply within the sperm cell.
And it’s simple. In fact it’s never been easier to get these over-the-counter supplements from you fertility acupuncturist. Although we do recommend to book in for an Initial Consultation with one of our Registered Acupuncturists before starting any supplement regime just to make sure these are right for you.
But you’re in luck! In honour of all those men out there suffering with infertility Whole Family Health will be offering 50% off all Initial Consultations booked from June 10-16th! Book in today!
Hope to see you all in the clinic soon!
