If you are having reproductive problems, there might be more significant underlying concerns that need to be addressed. Here’s what to watch out for.
As fertility specialists, we have decades of experience studying sperm, or more accurately, semen. But an increasing amount of evidence indicates that it has far broader consequences than fertility and may be a useful indicator of a man’s general health.
There is growing evidence that sperm motility—the ability of sperm to “swim” to reach an egg—and low sperm count are associated with a higher risk of major health disorders or early mortality. Men with infertility had a 26% higher chance of dying, while men with extremely low sperm counts had a 67% higher risk than those with normal outcomes, according to a 2021 meta-analysis.
Concerning results were also found in a large U.S. research of over 12,000 men, which showed that males with aberrant semen parameters died more than twice as often during the follow-up period.
But let’s not getting ahead of ourselves. An early death is not directly caused by infertility. It may, however, indicate the existence of chronic conditions that might benefit from early treatment. The good news is that you have a lot of options for improving the health of your sperm and even your future offspring right now.
A significant problem
A woman’s health is only half of the reproductive problem, and the relationship between obesity and male-factor infertility is widely known. It’s one of the most significant problems affecting the guys in my rooms, with ABS figures indicating that 42.3% of 18 to 24-year-olds, 66.1% of 25 to 34-year-olds, and 74.8% of 35 to 44-year-old Australian males are overweight or obese.
Although obesity and cardiovascular disease are known to be intimately related, being overweight also has a deleterious impact on sperm morphology, motility, and concentration. Several obesity-related disorders, including high blood pressure, low HDL (or “good”) cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, or extra weight around the midsection linked to sperm DNA fragmentation, are frequent in males with reduced fertility who have metabolic syndrome.
Sperm are also affected by diabetes, and oxidative stress from sleep apnoea is known to reduce motility.
Revealing a concealed disease
Semen testing isn’t often utilised for this, but it can also show early indicators of chronic disease and hidden illnesses. A wide range of conditions, including infection, liver or kidney illness, testicular diseases, and hormonal imbalances, can affect sperm production and health.
The very common cause of misdiagnosed gonadal failure (hypogonadism), Klinefelter syndrome, may also be indicated by azoospermia (absence of sperm in ejaculate) or a very low sperm count. Early identification with a semen test is highly advantageous since this genetic issue raises the risk of osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, and infertility.
Researchers have also discovered a strong link between male infertility and testicular and prostate cancer, with subfertility being regarded a biomarker for increased familial cancer risk.
A lifestyle wake-up call
Abnormal sperm parameters may also indicate that your lifestyle – and diet – needs a bit of a shakeup. An overly processed diet high in refined carbohydrates is known to negatively impact fertility by increasing inflammation and potentially fuelling metabolic disease.
The remedy? The Mediterranean diet. Widely accepted as the gold standard by the medical fraternity, this plant-rich diet is packed with healthy fats (think: olive oil), vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains and has been shown to improve sperm concentration and motility.
One 2020 randomised controlled trial of 160 men placed on either a Mediterranean or low-fat diet for six months found significantly higher improvements in sperm count and concentration among the first cohort. Limiting alcohol, stopping smoking and reducing heat exposure and the use of laptops (on the lap) have also been linked to significant improvements in sperm parameters, including motility, concentration and DNA fragmentation.
I also recommend stress management techniques, regular movement and loose underwear in natural, breathable fibres – particularly during summer.
How sperm health can impact your children
Recent research also suggests a link between a father’s health and the risks of conditions like obesity, diabetes and neurodevelopmental differences in children. For instance, men who are obese at conception may pass on altered metabolic signals through sperm, potentially predisposing children to similar struggles.
There is also a strong genetic basis to male infertility, and there has been concern about transgenerational inheritance of poor fertility in offspring (meaning that if a parent has fertility problems, then their offspring may also have a higher risk of fertility problems). However, this research does not seem alarming, as more recent evidence also seems to reassure us that the reproductive health of young men whose fathers had abnormal semen parameters have similar reproductive outcomes to their peers.
Sperm testing as part of a holistic health check
All of this highlights the potential of semen testing as part of a holistic health check, outside of fertility. It is a relatively simple and inexpensive intervention that gives us an insight into overall health, while serving as an early warning system for metabolic dysfunction and chronic disease that may otherwise go undetected.
Growing evidence suggests it may prove to be one of the most powerful predictors of long-term health in men. Used alongside other investigative tools such as blood tests, it can also help prompt the necessary lifestyle changes to improve not only your fertility outcomes but the odds of living a long and healthy life.