If you’ve been trying to start a family for more than six months and have not been successful, it may because your sperm count and quality are not as high as they could be. Heat and male fertility are closely related. One thing that many men can do to help their fertility is to reduce the amount of heat that their testicles are exposed to. Yes, really.
The Low Down
Research has shown that the reason that a man’s testicles are on the outside of the body is not purely ornamental but rather to help keep the temperature at a level that will help with sperm production. If sperm is regularly exposed to higher temperatures, the sperm production is severely reduced. For each degree that the temperature goes up, 40 percent of a male’s sperm production is reduced. And, it doesn’t take much to raise the temperature of the testicles.
Some men may have been told that they shouldn’t wear tight fitting underwear. Men think it is because of the restriction but actually, it is because tight fitting clothes will trap heat in and raise the temperature of the testicles. Excessive heat can come from many sources. For instance, if you use sleep on a waterbed you’re four more times likely to suffer from issues with fertility. Riding a bike for long periods can also cause heat to be trapped. Driving long distances, as truck drivers often do, or sitting in a chair for long stretches at the office can also lead to male infertility because of the trapped heat in that area.
Studies conducted have revealed that exposure to heat overall can reduce the amount of sperm production a body generates. Even people living in areas that have high heat levels have been shown to have lowered sperm production. If you’re trying to start a family and live in a part of the world where things fall to the hotter side of the spectrum then you may want to consider the time of the year as well when it comes to trying to have a baby. What can a man do to avoid the problem? Keep themselves cool with proper hydration and loose clothing. Avoiding over heating or extreme heat whenever possible is always a good idea as well, though not always easy.
A Few More Things to Remember
Other things to avoid include saunas, heated pools, hot tubs, heated-blankets, and waterbeds. Each of these can negatively influence your body’s ability to produce sperm and help you to conceive a child. The link between heat and male fertility may just be something to consider if you’ve been having trouble conceiving.