A normal sperm count should be over twenty million sperm per milliliter, with a total volume of between two and five milliliters, with at least fifty per cent of them showing forward movement. Some may be dead (up to twenty five percent) and some may be misshapen (up to seventy percent) and the sperm count will still be considered normal.
The sperm game is a game of numbers, with vast numbers being produced on the premise that at least some will be suitable. Women are born with all their eggs already in place, albeit in an undeveloped state, but men make fresh sperm every day after puberty. This is reabsorbed and remade continuously.
Many factors can affect this process, some on a long-term basis and some on a daily basis but to increase fertility production needs to be maximized.
Clothing and Temperature
Perhaps the best-known home remedy for a low sperm count is to change from tight underpants to shorts. It is a fact that higher temperatures will reduce sperm count, and that the ideal temperature for sperm production is lower than the body temperature. This is why shorts are better than underpants for fertility. It is also why hot tubs, hot baths and saunas are not recommended. They can be used, but use should be infrequent and limited to fifteen-minute sessions. I have read that cold baths improve sperm count but have seen no scientific evidence of this.
Diet
Healthy sperm production requires a lot of Vitamin E and Zinc so men should make sure that their healthy diet includes plenty of these. This means plenty of meat and eggs. The diet also needs to include plenty of Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, Selenium, Arginine and carnitine. Generally a good healthy diet with plenty of vegetables is recommended.
A handful of Pumpkin or Sunflower seeds every day will provide a minimum of most of the vital minerals. Alcohol lowers sperm production and caffeine slows sperm down. Eating foods that increase testosterone will be beneficial; some of these are salmon, cruciferous vegetables and oysters.
Mental and Physical Fitness
Overweight and unfit men have a lower sperm count but excessive exercise can reduce sperm count. Certain types of exercise, such as cycling, will reduce the sperm count.
Stress can lower your sperm count and if you are trying to increase your sperm count one factor is to learn to relax. This can be difficult if the circumstances involve infertility treatment, but relaxation, massage and yoga can also improve sperm count if you are stressed.
Sex
For maximum sperm production sex every three days is optimal. If it is more frequent then production cannot keep up, but if you limit sexual activity then that can also decrease your sperm quality and count. Please note this is not a direct order, it is a guide. I would think that a calendar entry every three days would come under increased stress.
Drugs
Legal and illegal drugs may lower sperm production. Cimetidine is one common drug that will lower sperm count. Anabolic steroids will lower sperm count, as will marijuana.Some diabetic drugs can also reduce sperm count, particularly metformin.
Smoking
Along with being bad for everything else, smoking lowers your sperm count.
Infection
The symptoms of a testicular infection may not be apparent, but may decrease sperm count. Infertility clinics will often treat men for minor infections to improve sperm count. Other infections such as STD’s and bladder infections may reduce sperm count.
Age
Sperm production naturally drops off as men age, typically starting at the age of about forty. This drop is not in itself enough to stop conception; we have all seen that well-known older men still manage to father children.
Genetics
Some men just have a lower sperm count, or produce lower quality sperm. The absolute quantity and quality will be increased by following the above advice but may never be as high as the next guys. Remember though, it only takes one spermatozoa to get to the egg, and modern infertility treatments are working at overcoming male infertility.
