From what I’ve been told by the 10-15% of WholeHealth Chicago patients who are (or have been on) on the conveyor belt of hormone injection/surgical procedure stops on each of the highly competitive Fertility Centers, it must be an emotionally draining experience. You arrive feeling <fill in some emotion, like anxiety, hope>. She is <worried? Definitely not cheerful>. He <supportive, voice shaky, mouth dry, numb>. Both wish this weren’t necessary.
At some point, he’ll leave behind a semen sample, and guess what? His work is done. The lab tech will do a sperm count, check for sperm quality and movement. He’ll have a blood test for testosterone, and that’s that.
She, on the other hand, will undergo far more complex testing, which is good, I guess, except that 50% of infertility problems will be ultimately traced back to her partner. If you’re curious what goes on, here’s a link entitled, “The Complete Fertility Workup” prepared by a national network of reproductive endocrinologists.
Just about every step along the way does involve something physically (and emotionally) uncomfortable for the female. Not terrible mind you, like, oh, for example, getting your face ripped off, but all-in-all, you’d rather be on a beach somewhere than having a saline infusion uterine sonogram or all the hormones, physical steps, etc., of embryo transfer.
Statistically, if you’re a couple trying to conceive, you do better going to a fertility center than not, although they’ll rarely give you the actual statistics. A “C” to a “B” but never an “A+.” The Centers want you to undergo IVF or IUI in the worst way, given that the going rate, depending on where you live in the U.S., is anywhere between $20,000-$30,000.
THESE NEW STATISTICS MEAN WE’LL BE USING FERTILITY CENTERS MORE.
We now know for certain that sperm counts have dropped by 50% over the past fifty years. In the U.S. testosterone levels have undergone this same dramatic drop.
Knowing these astonishing trends, before the doctor’s clinics outlines the pricing for the IVF, I’d be happier if the doc began by insisting that each new couple arrive with a diary of their lifestyle choices over the previous months, including eating and exercise habits and being open about transgressions like junk food, alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco. Obesity alone is a highly significant risk factor when it comes to infertility.
Along with semen analysis and tests of hormone levels. Borderline underactive thyroid is often overlooked as a cause of infertility. We use the old-fashioned basal temperature test to determine whether a woman needs to start a small dose of Armour thyroid which many times jumpstarted a pregnancy. We’ll also suggest a complete evaluation of the nutritional status of both members of the couple with this very extensive test, add depleted supplements, and if needed, a meeting with our nutritionist. We might unearth some real problems that could be addressed before the expensive IVF treatment started.
A Guy Thing?
Here’s the point: this new research is showing that infertility issues might have more to do with the guy and his nutritional status than specialists had previously recognized. The eating habits of people in the US are generally pretty atrocious. In fact, if you extrapolate our crappy diet to its downstream effect a couple of decades later, we’re eating ourselves into early heart disease, premature diabetes, and higher risks of stroke and cancer.
I hate to sound curmudgeonly here, but maybe some of the infertility issues occurring in some lives (not yours, of course) are the body’s way of saying, “We really don’t need you with your inattention and self-neglect to be reproducing. We’ve got enough issues on this overcrowded and polluted planet.”
Measurements of sperm counts and semen quality reveal declines over the past 50 years. Your Daddy’s sperm was fundamentally stronger than that man walking in with you to the Fertility Clinic whose sperm will help you make a baby unless you whip his fat butt into shape. There are many factors involved, including environmental toxins, chemicals in our food that disrupt hormones, physical inactivity, and emotional stress.
However, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that diets rich in processed meats, soy foods, and potatoes and full of saturated fat, dairy products, cheese, coffee, alcohol, sugar-sweetened beverages, and sugar itself have all been linked to poor semen quality.
You’ll love the word for this: oligoasthenoteratospermia, which means too few sperm that are also too weak and misshapen to manage the journey to your egg, much less penetrate and fertilize it. “Oligo” = low number; “astheno” = weak; “terato” = monstrously shaped. Want a sperm like that in your egg, kiddo?
Eating to Reproduce
According to all the proper authorities (American Heart Association, Mayo Clinic, WholeHealth Chicago), barely 15 percent of people are eating what’s considered a truly healthful diet. Want more and better sperm? Studies have clearly shown that a diet rich in food sources of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants (vitamins C and E, beta carotene, selenium, zinc, vitamin D, and folate) make a significant difference.
You don’t need a tray of supplements. If you pay close attention, everything you need will be in what you eat, provided you focus on wild-caught fish and seafood, poultry (organic/hormone free), and organic whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and even a small amount of organic dairy that might include yogurt, cheese and whole milk.
Which brings me to report on a study from the Journal of the AMA. It’s really interesting especially if you know anyone who’s thinking of starting a family.
In Denmark, when a young man reaches age 18, he’s required by law to undergo a physical exam to determine if he’s fit for military service. In the five years between 2012 and 2017, researchers recruited 1,679 volunteers who agreed to provide details on their lifestyle choices (alcohol, tobacco, and exercise) and their diets and intake of nutritional supplements during the three months before the exam.
At the time of the exam, each young man was to leave a sperm sample and undergo an ultrasound examination of his testes (testicles). Also measured were blood levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and testosterone. The FSH and LH are pituitary hormones involved in testosterone production and sperm development. High levels of each are a sign that the testicles are not functioning properly.
What They Discovered
Just about 66% of the young men took no supplements at all. 12% took a daily multivitamin, 5.8% took fish oil, 4% took vitamin D, and 1.5% vitamin C. Obviously, many of the supplement takers took them in different combinations.
Men who reported taking daily fish oil supplements had larger testes as shown on an ultrasound exam, a higher volume of semen with higher sperm counts, and higher levels of testosterone and lower levels of FSH and LH.
The average sperm count was 147 million for men who took no fish oil supplements versus 184 million for men who had been taking fish oil for more than 60 days.
These differences were noted only in the fish oil takers.
Daily use of a multiple vitamin as well as daily taking of vitamins C and D may have had other health benefits, but it was fish oil that emerged the winner.
Our Experience at WholeHealth Chicago
We measure omega-3 levels as part of our nutritional evaluations. Because many people mumble something like, “I hate fish” or “My husband won’t touch fish,” unsurprisingly we see a lot of people with low levels of omega-3. Maybe these fish avoiders are inadvertently practicing birth control. Maybe all those huge Catholic families I remember growing up with on Chicago’s south side owe some of those kids to all that fish-on-Friday rule.
Say no to oligoasthenoteratospermia and…
Be well,
David Edelberg, MD