(Credits)
Picture this: you and your partner have been trying to get pregnant for the last year or so, but you haven’t been successful. You’ve tried BBT charting, exercising more, and eating a balanced diet, but nothing seems to work. What gives?
As it turns out, this could very well be an issue that’s caused by your partner (to be more specific, your partner’s weight). According to a doctoral thesis conducted at the University of Tartu Institute of Clinical Medicine in Estonia, central obesity in men does affect fertility parameters negatively, and men ought to pay attention to their lifestyle in order to alleviate their fertility problems.
How a man’s weight impacts his fertility
Researchers state that the proportion of overweight men has tripled in recent years, and that this is in parallel with the increase in fertility problems worldwide. As the study finds, men with fertility problems have a significantly higher prevalence of adiposity (ie obesity) and metabolic syndrome (high blood sugar, excessive body fat around the waist, and other conditions that increase one’s risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes).
To break it down, when men become overweight or obese, this is often accompanied by a hormonal imbalance in their bodies. This leads to erection problems, poor semen quality, and other fertility issues.
First and foremost, because overweight men tend to have lower testosterone levels, this results in a higher incidence of sexual dysfunction. Simply put, men who are overweight generally experience more problems with building and maintaining erections.
On top of that, studies also show that male obesity reduces sperm count and sperm concentration. If your partner is struggling with a low sperm count or concentration, this essentially stacks the odds against you, and makes it harder for you to conceive.
How men can maintain a healthy weight and boost their fertility
Trying to get your partner to lose some pounds? Here are a few tips that might help him out:
Eat every three to four hours, so that you don’t get too hungry. It might seem counter-intuitive, but if you let yourself get too hungry, this increases the chances that you’ll overeat at your next meal.
Skip the fruit juice. Not many people realise this, but there’s actually more sugar in a cup of fresh fruit juice, as compared to a soft drink.
Drink water when you feel like snacking. Water is an appetite-suppressor, and when you consume more water, you end up eating less food.
Comentários