Fertility Advice for Would-be Father

Fertility Advice for Would-be Father

Men who are hoping to become fathers and are currently considering family planning issues should consider their weight, a new study has suggested.

Researchers at the University of Aberdeen in the UK found that obese men have a higher proportion of abnormal sperm and a lower volumes of seminal fluid, which can make it harder to conceive.

By contrast men who had an optimal body mass index had higher levels of both normal sperm and semen volumes than other groups.

Dr. A Ghiyath Shayeb, who led the study, noted that he suspected there would be a link between weight and fertility in men, as this connection already exists in women.

“Our findings were quite independent of any other factors,” he said, “and seem to suggest that men who are trying for a baby with their partners, should first try to achieve an ideal body weight.”

He added that adopting a healthy lifestyle, exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet will in “the vast majority of cases” allow would-be dads to reach a normal body mass index.

In related news, researchers as the Eylau Centre for Assisted Reproduction in Paris recently found that men’s fertility levels begin to drop when they reach 40.

In new family planning news, a study has found that a man’s age could be crucial in determining his fertility levels.

Researchers as the Eylau Centre for Assisted Reproduction in Paris looked at more than 12,000 couples undergoing fertility treatment and found that pregnancy rates drop and miscarriages increase when the father is older than 40, WebMD Health News reports.

This is the first time there has been clinical proof of the impact of a man’s age on his ability to have children, although the importance of a woman’s age when she is trying to get pregnant is well documented.

Stephanie Belloc, who led the study, commented: “We found that the age of the father was important in pregnancy rates … this research has important implications for couples wanting to start a family.”

This study was primarily concerned with intrauterine inseminations, where the man’s sperm is inserted into the woman’s uterus, so Dr Belloc recommended that older couples consider in vitro fertilization (IVF) as another option.