Conscious Choice Seattle: Mission Possible—Revving Up Male Fertility

August 2005 | Whole Health

Mission Possible—Revving Up Male Fertility—Naturally

By Barbra Cohn

Maura Wilcox, a spirited 39-year-old massage therapist with an holistic bent, has been trying to get pregnant for a year. Since she prefers natural approaches whenever possible, she’s been doing the same to boost her fertility. Maura visits an acupuncturist to rev up her chi, pursues healing energy work for vibrational balance and takes a variety of herbs and antioxidants to fortify her immune system and spark her fertility. She’s even consulted an astrologer to determine the best times to conceive. In typical fashion, she’s been focusing solely on enriching her own fertility while her husband, Jim, although supportive of her efforts, has been a casual observer.

Those in the baby-making business know this story well. However, they cite statistics showing that men and women can equally frustrate the stork. “Male factor” infertility can account for more than 50 percent of the problems. Yet,“It’s the woman who gets pregnant and carries the baby, so most couples want to start with her,” says John E. Gould, M.D., Ph.D. —a urologist and male infertility specialist at the Northern California Fertility Medical Center in Sacramento. Regardless, Dr. Gould believes it‘s simpler to determine if, first of all, the man’s sperm are A-OK before spending an inordinate amount of time looking into a woman’s potential fertility issues.

That’s how nutritionist Beverly Kindblade, M.S., an expert in maternal lifecycle at Bastyr University’s School of Nutrition, likes to approach the issue. “I think it’s important for couples to know what they’re dealing with right from the start. I like the path of least resistance, and that means checking the status of the male’s sperm health first.”

Natural approaches to boosting sperm Infertility is generally defined as a failure to conceive after at least one year of regular intercourse without contraception. But it’s fairly simple for a male to determine whether his sperm count falls into the normal range with a home analysis kit (prices start around $30 and go up to $350 for sophisticated sperm DNA testing).

But before trying to conceive, you may want to take about six months to get in shape, according to naturopathic physician Chris Meletis and Liz Brown in their book, Enhancing Fertility: A Couple’s Guide to Natural Approaches. The authors advise building a healthy foundation to conceive, yes, but also to ensure an uneventful pregnancy and a healthy child. This means loading up on extra nutrients, including essential fatty acids and vitamins C, E and B.

From a nutritional standpoint, Kindblade advises pumping up a couple’s diet to promote conception. She emphasizes the importance of eating organic, whole foods. “And include lots of foods you can imagine growing as a plant,” she says. She points out that studies indicate a vitamin C deficiency can cause clumping of sperm while a zinc deficiency can contribute to lowered sperm production. Hence, she recommends cruciferous veggies such as cabbage and Brussels sprouts that are rich in vitamin C. High levels of zinc can be found in pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

Kindblade’s advice to eat organically includes animal products, “Go with organically grown meats, chicken and wild salmon to avoid toxins and chemicals.”

DNA sperm damage

Male infertility expert Joanna Ellington is big on avoiding toxins—in food, as well as the environment, which includes pesticides and herbicides for the lawn. Ellington conducts a robust forum on her INGfertility website where she fields wide-ranging questions from readers anxious to conceive. Many ask about toxins. She explains and discusses research showing how and why they damage DNA of the sperm, leaving them infertile.

Ellington is one of the foremost authorities on how antidepressants, specifically those known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), damage sperm DNA, as well. She co-authored a National Institutes of Health study last year that suggests SSRIs (e.g. Paxil, Luvox, Zoloft, Serozone and Prozac) induce hormone changes that cause the DNA damage.

This is a particularly insidious problem because, as Ellington tells her forum readers, “If sperm chromatin (DNA) is broken, the sperm can look totally normal—with regards to count, swimming and everything a doc looks at. It even looks normal to an egg. I can not over-emphasize the importance of having this checked.”

(The DNA damage is in addition to the fact that 50 percent of men taking SSRIs for depression exhibit sexual dysfunction). The damage is even greater if you smoke.

Stay positive, however! The DNA damage can often be reversed, she says, with changes in medication. Moreover, she says, “probably any man who is trying to conceive and certainly those with poor sperm quality or damage should take vitamins designed for men who are trying to conceive.” (One brand she recommends is FertilityBlend.)

Couples question her about numerous other drugs that might be contributing to male infertility. The problem, she says, is that there is no research on other drugs as they relate to sperm DNA damage. Again, she advises a sperm chromatin test.

Other useful tidbits from Ellington’s INGwebsite:

• Ellington cautions about the use of various personal lubricants on sperm function. She says, “Several studies show that: KY Jelly, Astroglide and Replens killed SPERM EQUIVALENTLY TO CONTRACEPTIVE JELLIES [her emphasis].”

• As for the warning about staying out of hot tubs—surprisingly, Ellington reports the studies on hot tubs are inconclusive—some find a negative effect on sperm—others don’t. She advises if a man has already had a sperm count done and it was poor, hold off on the hot tub. Otherwise, gauge your time at maybe 5-plus minutes. It’s cumulative length of time for heating that is critical.

• Stress can reduce sperm counts. One of the main factors causing stress for a couple trying to conceive is the quality of their sexual pleasure during the ovulatory period. Ellington says, “Couples who are able to enjoy sex, even if it is ‘timed,’ have less marital stress and discord, and actually a higher conception rate.”

Overall, making sure that sex is enjoyable for both partners is important. Take the time to enjoy each other and do all you can to decrease his performance anxiety. Ellington reports that sperm samples provided after more stimulation and less stress yield dramatically higher motile sperm counts.

Barbra Cohn is a marketing writer and consultant for the natural products industry.

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