While having babies may not be on a single’s top priority list, the choice of having kids of your own sure pops up when you’re a couple. Let’s say you spent most of your first few years together just by yourselves. You’ve had a lot of adventures, travel, and squeezing in as much youthful sex as possible. So you decide on having a child of your own but when you try, you realize you both could have “squeezed out” too much youth along the way and is now making it harder for you to conceive.
If this is you or both you and your partner, you might want to read up because this article will give you great tips on how to boost you and your partner’s fertility through the roof! The following tips are safe and natural.
1. Reduce Masturbation Sessions
Remember our article on masturbation addiction? Yeah, men have better chances of having lots of soldiers ready for battle if they reduce the number of times they deploy them. We’re not saying you should hold off for a week but rather, ask your lady when she wants to conceive and leave at least one whole day before were you won’t touch yourself. This way, your squirming army is fully replenished in time for some child-making.
2. Watch Your Alcohol
Alcohol will affect both you and your partner. In fact, drinking any alcohol at all can reduce your fertility by half – and the more you drink, the less likely you are to conceive. One study actually associates alcohol intake with reduced odds of being pregnant in women [1]Jensen, T. K., Hjollund, N. H. I., Henriksen, T. B., Scheike, T., Kolstad, H., Giwercman, A., … Olsen, J. (1998). Does moderate alcohol consumption affect fertility? Follow up study among couples planning first pregnancy. BMJ, 317(7157): 505–510. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC28642/ while another study notes a reduced healthy sperm count. [2]Brzek, A. (1987). Alcohol and male fertility (preliminary report). Andrologia, 19(1):32-6. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3688475 You two better stay sober as long as you can before you conceive.
3. Use Natural Lubricants
This is a weird advice but hear us out. The problem with lubricants nowadays is some of them have become so synthetic that it might end up harming a guy’s sperm and a woman’s eggs. Sometimes the lube can act as a barrier that prevents the sperm from entering/swimming through or the egg from receiving.
One popular (and particularly healthy) product you can use is virgin coconut oil. It has loads of health benefits but the fact that it’s literally oil means it’ll make things slick and smooth with just a few drops and rubs. [3]Vala, G. S. (2014). Medicinal benefit of coconut oil. International Journal of Life Sciences Research, 2(4):124-126. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268805677_Medicinal_benefit_of_coconut_oil Remember: the lesser the amount of lube you use the better the chances of your sperm and her egg hooking up with each other. [4]Wilson, S. L., Adam, J. K., & Krishna, S. B. N. (2017). Effects of Vaginal Lubricants on In-Vitro Progressive Spermatozoa Motility. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 21(3):96-101. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29624933
4. Keep Your Shorts Loose and Your Testicles Cool
For guys, this is a real thing. Your balls are cold for a reason and that is to preserve your precious sperm. Sperm is extra sensitive to temperature and just like most organisms in your body, it prefers cooler temperatures as it is quickly damaged by high heat.
Some of the best ways to get things cooler down there is to wear loose underwear, not putting hot things over your groin (like laptops or even phones), and taking cold showers. A good tip is to shower with cold water a few hours before you conceive to get your sperm up and ready.
5. Eat Foods Good For Your Sperm
Nutrition plays a huge role in making you as fertile as possible. Eat foods rich in omega-3, alpha-linolenic acid, and zinc to get your sperm as healthy and mobile as possible. Some of these foods include oysters, red meat, eggs, walnuts, and fatty fish like salmon and mackerel.
6. Maintain a Healthy Weight
This should be something we should all do regardless of whether we’re doing it for a baby or not. Studies correlate obesity with infertility for both men and women and it’s hugely due to hormonal imbalances and it’s twice as bad if you’re already well in your thirties or early forties.
What’s a healthy weight? It depends on your muscle-fat ratio but if you’re an “average” body type, aim for a BMI of not more than 25.
7. Exercise Regularly
This goes hand in hand with weight management and eating healthy food. Lots of studies confirm the benefits of exercise on increasing sexual fertility (not to mention sexual prowess). [5]Golmakani, N., Zare, Z., Khadem, N., Shareh, H., & Shakeri, M. T. (2015). The effect of pelvic floor muscle exercises program on sexual self-efficacy in primiparous women after delivery. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 20(3): 347–353. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462060/ Just be careful not to overdo the workout or become a chronic cardioholic or else you’ll wear down your sex hormones [6]Hackney, A. C., Moore, A. W., & Brownlee, K. K. (2005). Testosterone and endurance exercise: Development of the “exercise-hypogonadal male condition”. Acta Physiologica Hungarica, 92(2):121-37. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16268050 and replace them with cortisol, the stress hormone. Speaking of stress…
8. Just Relax
Look, you don’t have to feel the pressure of having a baby. Love making is supposed to be stress-free and make you feel good, not anxious! Too much stress causes hormonal imbalance which might lead to difficulty in conceiving. For men, stress might even kill your erections.
9. Ask About Your Medication
This is common sense. If you’re finding it hard to get pregnant and your taking medications, it’s a good idea to ask your doctor if the meds you are taking are the culprit behind why you can’t conceive. Some drugs can act as birth control pills or sperm killers. If you can’t stave off the medications even for a few days, ask for alternatives, preferably natural.
10. Stop Smoking
Smoking is just bad for everything. Smoking has definitely been linked with infertility in women. It can even bring on an early menopause, which is a particularly important consideration for older women who may be trying to beat the clock. Smoking can decrease sperm count in men, making the sperm more sluggish, and it can increase the number of abnormal sperm. With men, the effects on fertility are increased with the number of cigarettes.
So do yourself a favor and quit while your body can still revert back to its pre-smoking state.
Supplements You Can Take
1. Tongkat Ali
Tongkat ali is known as a libido booster but what we’re looking for here is its testosterone-boosting effect, the hormone that men WANT more of for muscle mass and healthy sperm. A root herb is also known as Malaysian Ginseng, Tongkat Ali has a strong reputation as a sex-enhancer… and some decent human research as a testosterone booster.
While not a direct booster, Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia, if you want to get technical) seems to block testosterone killers while boosting testosterone precursors and other testosterone helpers. These bio-activities combine to help raise free testosterone, with one small human study showing that Tongkat Ali boosted testosterone by 37% [7]Talbott, S. M., Talbott, J. A., George, A., & Pugh, M. (2013). Effect of Tongkat Ali on stress hormones and psychological mood state in moderately stressed subjects. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2013; 10: 28. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-10-28
2. Maca
This South American root vegetable is a popular male aphrodisiac, with an incredibly hardy nature that has led to associations with male strength, vitality, and virility. But research shows it doesn’t do much for testosterone. Still, the evidence is much stronger for Maca’s use as a sex drive enhancer which may explain its use in testosterone stacks.
3. Ginseng
Ginseng’s manly benefits might be linked to testosterone: One human study found Panax ginseng seemed to increase free testosterone and the androgen DHT in men. [8]Salvati, G., Genovesi, G., Marcellini, L., Paolini, P., De Nuccio, I., Pepe, M., & Re, M. (1996). Effects of Panax Ginseng C.A. Meyer saponins on male fertility. Panminerva Medica, 38(4):249-54. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9063034?dopt=Abstract Ginseng makes sense in testosterone and sex booster formulas: It may give a man’s testosterone levels a small bump, but will far more reliably and noticeably boost libido and strengthen erections.
4. Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is known as one of the best herbs in Ayurveda. This herb is quite renowned for its effects on cortisol levels, but it may also helps in the treatment of cancer, acts as a memory aid, and used to treat fertility issues in both men and women.
One study found that this herb improves fertility by decreasing stress levels in men. While in the case of women, a 2015 study revealed that oral intake of this herb helps to boost the women’s sexual functioning.
5. Zinc
Zinc is largely responsible for testosterone and sperm health. Zinc is concentrated in testes, where it triggers testosterone synthesis, serves as a testosterone building block & neutralizes girly prolactin hormone. If you’re low on zinc, you’ll be low on testosterone and this could lead to hypogonadism.
Hypogonadism leads to shriveled balls and man-boobs and they’re not exactly sexually enticing now, are they?
6. Omega 3 Fatty Acids
These essential fats have a profound effect on every system of the body, including the reproductive system and they are crucial for healthy hormone functioning. Omega 3 fatty acids also control inflammation which may interfere with getting and staying pregnant.
For men, essential fatty acid supplementation is crucial because the semen is rich in prostaglandins which are produced from these fats. Men with poor sperm quality, abnormal sperm, poor motility or low count, have inadequate levels of these beneficial prostaglandins.
7. Selenium
Selenium may prevent chromosome breakage, which is known to be a cause of birth defects and miscarriages. Adequate levels of selenium are also essential to maximize sperm formation.
8. Folic Acid
Together with vitamin B12, folic acid potentially works to ensure that your baby’s genetic codes are intact. It’s not enough to take folic acid alone, though, especially when you are trying to become pregnant. All of the B vitamins are essential during the pre-conceptual period. Giving B6 [9]Buhling, K. J. & Grajecki, D. (2013). The effect of micronutrient supplements on female fertility. Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 25(3):173-80. doi: 10.1097/GCO.0b013e3283609138 to women who have trouble conceiving increases fertility and vitamin B12 [10]Boxmeer, J. C., Smit, M., Weber, R. F., Lindemans, J., Romijn, J. C., Eijkemans, M. J., & Macklon, N. S. (2007). Seminal plasma cobalamin significantly correlates with sperm concentration in men undergoing IVF or ICSI procedures. Journal of Andrology, 28(4):521-7. DOI: 10.2164/jandrol.106.001982 has been found to improve low sperm counts.
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