How can you improve semen quality?

Improve semen quality

Fast, smart and effective: sperm cells are usually quite lively. Sometimes semen quality needs some improvement. For example, you may suffer from slow sperm or few sperm cells in the semen.

What causes this and which factors affect the health of the sperm cells? You will read everything you always wanted to know (and never dared to ask) about semen in this blog article.

What is the life span of sperm cells?

Sperm cells can survive in the womb for up to 72 hours. However, this differs per person: in some men, sperm has a shorter lifespan. Good semen quality, in principle, has more stamina than sperm that is less healthy. As semen quality improves, the lifespan of the sperm cells generally increases. Outside the uterus, there is little hope for sperm cells: within a few minutes, they die an inglorious death.

When is semen quality considered insufficient?

Sperm cells make a lot of effort to fertilise an oocyte: they take a 17 centimetre trip to the woman’s abdominal cavity and undergo all kinds of biochemical changes in the uterus. And then they still have to be the first to reach the egg. In total, the journey takes about 5 minutes. Seed cells that are not fit will not survive this exhausting trip. A few key reasons for poor semen quality are:
– Reduced sperm cell motility (also called lazy sperm or slow sperm). Sperm is less mobile if only 25% or less of the sperm cells move forward;
– A lower percentage of sperm cells in seed fluid. Normally, 100 to 200 million sperm cells are released per ejaculation. In case of reduced fertility, this number is less than 20 million;
– A different form of sperm cells. Some sperm cells miss a head or tail or have other shape defects. There are always some strange sperm cells in the semen. But if more than 70% of the sperm is different from normal, this can be the cause of reduced fertility.
Although some erection abnormalities can occur, you can improve the overall semen quality by living healthy.

How can you improve semen quality?

The quality of sperm can be influenced. In addition, the healthier you live, the less likely it will be for you to have lazy sperm, short-lived sperm or other “defects”. A few tips to improve semen quality:
– Do not smoke. The quality of the semen is adversely affected by this.
– Move more. Couch potatoes have a greater chance of reduced semen quality, such as slow sperm.
– Do not wear tight (under) pants. As a result, the testicles become too hot and sperm cells are lost. For the same reason, do not sit in a hot tub or go to the sauna too often.
– Avoid alcohol and drugs. This can reduce seed production.
– Healthy eating can improve semen quality. Especially foods rich in vitamin C can contribute to healthy sperm.
– Think about your weight. Overweight can cause a reduction in testosterone levels and reduced seed production.

Can having too many orgasms cause a decay of your semen quality?

Yes, if you come too often, it reduces the number of sperm cells per ejaculation. However, this also applies to too little ejaculations. If you want to improve your semen quality, a frequency of one ejaculation per three to five days is a good directive.

Sources: Dokterdokter.nl