April 24-30, 2016 is National Infertility Awareness Week, #NIAW and it’s the perfect time to talk about SPERM.
Sara Naab of Trak Fertility and my co-host for the Making Dads Summit for the past three years, has a mission and it’s all about sperm! On her site http://trakfertility.com the first impression of Trak is their mission: Empowering men to take control of their reproductive health.
Statistically: 1:5 men have low sperm count!
How do you know if you’re the 1:5?
In a recent article I wrote for SheKnows (Read more here: http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/1115699/signs-you-might-be-struggling-with-infertility), Dr. Paul Turek, Founder and Director of the Turek Clinic in Los Angeles & San Francisco shared these two important tips for men about male factor infertility .
1.) Are things not happening despite rock stable and regular intercourse timed to ovulation with kits or temperatures? According to Dr. Paul Turek “given that at least 30% of couple infertility is due to male factor and that male factor infertility is both faster and cheaper to evaluate than its female equivalent, it makes perfect medical sense to evaluate men right alongside the female partner.” This would involve a history, physical exam and two semen analyses to start. The latter examines the number (count) and movement (motility) of sperm.
2) Does the male partner experience sexual dysfunction? Since erection issues have been linked to the future development of heart disease, according to Dr. Turek, this seemingly innocent issue “might signal real underlying health issues in men, and should trigger a referral to a urologist.”
3) Instead of After the loving…it’s After The Sperm Test: Did you know that Sperm have an oval head with a long tail and 90% of sperm that is ejaculated is deformed! (Mayo Clinic) Although, the defects can cause slow swimmers and the inability to reach the egg… it does not mean infertility.
One of the quickest, non-invasive manners of determining if you have a low sperm count would be to see your doctor or reproductive endocrinologist and have a sperm test or semen analysis.
The thought of ejaculating into a plastic cup might not be on the top 10 list of things to do this year but it can and will bring information necessary about your sperm and your reproductive health.
And afterwards, you can visit http://trakfertility.com and download the app to help you understand what all the data means. Terms such as sperm count, sperm motility, forward progression and sperm morphology plus sperm volume can leave you holding your privates! (See Below for terminology and facts)
Founder, Sara Naab’s passion is contagious: “I’m so excited to bring this tool to the world. Semen analysis results can be really confusing. One number is good, another is bad… and it can be really hard to know what you are supposed to do next. This app is designed to clarify semen analysis results, simplify male fertility and provide solid advice for steps that men can take to try to improve sperm quality on their quest to fatherhood.”
Mark your calendar for April 25th @ 1:00pm for the #StartAsking About Male Infertility Twitter Chat #TTC_Chat and looking ahead at June 13-17th and register for the Making Dads Summit 2016 bringing together the leaders within the Male Fertility & Reproductive Health fields. Register today https://www.kristendarcy.com/making-dads-fertility-telesummit
Terminology:
- Sperm Count = Number of sperm
- Sperm Motility = ability to move
- Forward progression = quality of movement
- Sperm morphology = size and shape
- Semen Volume = amount of fluid that is released.
Sperm Facts
- It takes 2-3 months for sperm to develop
- Sperm can live up to 3-5 days within the vagina
- Few hundred out of the millions ejaculated within a women will reach the finish line and get close to the egg
- There are X (girls) & Y (boys) sperm. And the X’s are stronger! (harvardhealthpublication) meaning there is more likelihood of getting impregnated with a X sperm!
