Does your man know that a good erection does not equal good fertility? In this article, I will talk about the role of a man in conception, what examinations should be done to check male reproductive health, and what can negatively affect it.
Does simultaneous orgasm increase the chances of conception?
My dears, of course, I sincerely want to say yes as it’s cool when the logical conclusion in the form of orgasm in sexual partners occurs simultaneously. But studies conducted by a team of sexologists led by Kinsey have not confirmed this. I collected all the proven information on preparing a couple for conception in my WeMakeFamily course – preparation for pregnancy.
I’m eager to file all of these courses in English, just send me a request to dr.silinaeducation@gmail.com.
And the fact that the Queen Egg lets the best into her is a proven fact.
The parameters of this best are: the correct morphology (structure) and high sperm motility. And there should be a lot of them, beautiful and healthy, so that the strongest one will reach the egg. They should not stick too much to each other (agglutination) and should not “bathe” in inflammatory secretions.
What a man should know about erection and fertility
I understand that for men it is painful and scary to realize the growing share of the male factor in infertility – I hate this word, but subfertility is mostly an unfamiliar term. However, you might find it comforting to know that poor sperm counts have nothing to do with sexual health, only with reproductive one. As practice shows, in the mind of an average man, a normal erection equals normal male health, and of course – that everything is fine with sperm.
According to statistics, the total sperm count in men worldwide has halved over the past 50 years. The degree of decline has its geographical features. Surely, countries with higher levels of environmental pollution have worse reproductive health indicators.
The number of motile sperm of class A and B decreases, and this is the class that can pass the mucus in the cervical canal. This is the first barrier on the way to the egg, which does not allow the weak ones to go further.
How a man can check the quality of his sperm
Below are the rules for taking a spermogram. Note: these recommendations differ from the ones of laboratories.
Refraining before the test should be three days, five days may cause a false negative result.
No need to create artificially better results. For example, a man likes and drinks beer every day. Abstaining from this habit for a week before the sperm donation will lead to a false positive result. The same goes for excluding fast food, smoking marijuana and sports. It is important to get the real picture, not the desired instead of the real one.
The main causes of sperm quality disorders
Civilizational diseases (acquired diabetes, arterial hypertension, depression)
It is important to exclude these conditions regardless of age. The number of cases of high blood pressure among men over 28 years of age is increasing. And as practice shows, men do not go to medical institutions for professional examination.
Varicocele not diagnosed in time
This is a condition when the testicle is enveloped by varicose veins, which creates a greenhouse effect, and a temperature of 32.5℃ is required for spermatogenesis. Among men with infertility, this condition occurs in 40%, has no symptoms, and does not affect sexual function. That is why adolescents should be prophylactically sent for consultation to a pediatric urologist.
Balanoposthitis – inflammation of the head of your penis and foreskin
It mainly develops as a result of poor intimate hygiene and anal sex without using a condom, increased glucose levels or allergic reactions. Do not use laundry soap or antibacterial soap for intimate hygiene, as it dries out the skin and mucous membranes.
Sexually transmitted infections
We are talking about trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, chlamydia. “Thrush” does not belong to this category of diseases. And if there are clinical manifestations, it is necessary to look for either the causes of reduced immunity, or again undiagnosed infections listed above.
Mumps in childhood
Girls and boys should be vaccinated to preserve their reproductive health. “Mumps” causes the spermatic cords in the testicles to stick together, and they lose their ability of spermatogenesis.
Genetic disorders
They are rare and should also be diagnosed in time. My father, urologist and andrologist Kostyantyn Silin, told me that he discovered Klinefelter syndrome in a 20-year-old boy. Before that, the young man did not know about the existence of such specialization of doctors, as well as about his disorder. How did he get to the doctor? His mother is my patient and in a conversation about children we found out that it was necessary to consult his son with a “male gynecologist”.
Chemotherapy of cancer
Before starting this type of treatment, better to freeze 5–6 portions of sperm for future attempts to conceive, regardless of reproductive plans for today.
Other causes
It is important to treat injuries of the groin area, hernias. At the same time, to regulate the lifestyle harmful to sperm – regular visits to the sauna, inactive lifestyle, regular consumption of beer and marijuana. And, of course, exclude hormonal disorders. Her majesty thyroid gland causes reproductive health disorders not only in Women but also in Men. Fertility is also impaired by a decrease in testosterone levels, especially among men who take testosterone and other hormones to increase muscle mass.
What tests to take to check man fertility?
Let’s start with a spermogram. Next:
- PCR – chlamydia, gonorrhea;
- If needed, bacterial test for ureaplasma and mycoplasma;
- In pouch–trichomoniasis. Other methods are not so true. And hidden trichomoniasis is the predominant cause of frequent “thrush” in women.
In the morning on an empty stomach within an hour of waking up
- Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH);
- Free thyroxine (T4 free);
- Prolactin;
- Free testosterone index;;
- NOMA index (diagnosis of early or already obvious metabolic disorders);
- Luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH);
- Vitamin D 25 OH (more information about vitamin D is in the article The role of vitamin D in women’s health);
- Complete blood test – all indicators are important, a normal complete blood count can tell a lot about, namely, the presence of a chronic inflammatory process or circulatory disorders in the vascular.
Genetic tests
But in this section I do not recommend, since much depends on the individual case.
Bacterial culture and microscopy of prostate juice
Taking a smear from the urethra in a man is usually uninformative. The presence of normal indicators in a smear from the urethra does not exclude a chronic inflammatory process in the prostate. This leads to a deterioration in the quality and motility of sperm and sexual health (erectile and ejaculatory dysfunction).
Be healthy!
And you can learn more about the health of your beloved man from my webinar Health of your beloved man.
I’m eager to file all of these courses in English, just send me a request to dr.silinaeducation@gmail.com.
And let your visits to the gynecologist and andrologist always be preventive! Lior Medical Center specialists are always ready to help you with this.
With love, your Natalia Silina,
gynecologist-endocrinologist,
UNICEF and UNFPA expert on sexual education
