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Healthy Sperm in Bahamian Men

Healthy Sperm
Submitted by: Tura

Up until a few weeks ago, when he encountered an online article about healthy sperm vs unhealthy sperm that’s not healthy, its did not occur to thirty-five year old Charles Bain (not real name) that his sperm could not be healthy.

As far as he was concerned, as long as he was able to produce an ejaculation whenever he had sex, he was a fertile man - which he believes is a common thought among Bahamian men.

“I think a lot of men only think that if they could just [ejaculate] they don’t have anything to worry about because it’s there. You don’t ever think that maybe you’re shotting these blanks and really not have anything really happening in that [ejaculation],” he told Tribune Health over the Internet.

Out of curiousity, Charles, a Bahamian who recently moved the the US, went for a sperm analysis. His results were normal...but how many other Bahamian men out there don’t know the health and fertility level in their ejaculation.

“I could tell you straight up, a lot of men don’t know what’s really going on with their sperm. It isn’t something we openly talk about even when we get around other men,” he noted.

During one ejaculation in a healthy male, 50 million sperm are discharged. It can take that many to begin the journey through the vagina, to the cervix and on to the fallopian tubes. But only one or two of those million will make it to a mature egg that is ready to be fertilized.

But determining whether that ejaculation was ‘healthy’ or not, means that several things must be taken into consideration. Generally it ‘healthy sperm’ means sperm that is capable of producing a pregnancy. But according to Dr Joseph Evans, one of only urologists in Nassau, we cannot separate the sperm from the sperm’s environment.

The liquid portion of semen can have problems in itself that may prevent a pregnancy even though the sperm themselves in the semen may be healthy. For example, if the necessary mineral levels like zinc and copper in the semen are too low, then the sperm may be ineffective.

“If there are abnormalities in these entities then the sperm may have a problem,” he noted. As far as the sperm themselves are concerned, ‘healthy’ means that the count is healthy. The sperm count, or the numebr of sperm per ejaculate, should be at a certain level. As Dr Evans noted, urologists expect to see at least 20 million sperm per millilitre of semen. Of those sperm, around 80 to 85 per cent should be normally structured. It is possible to have abnormally structured sperm - meaning either that the head is too small, or too big, the tail is too long, or too short, or the sperm has a single head with two tails, etc.

Urologists must also look at the quality of the sperm, which involves the speed at which they are moving. “A man may produce a lot of sperm but they may be immobile or sluggish in their movement. So while they may be well structured, the sperm may not be healthy sperm because they are too sluggish in their movement,” Dr Evans explained.

There are many factors like a number of medications that a man takes that negatively affects his sperm count, but one factor that Dr Evans says “notoriously” affects sperm count is the use of marijuana. He mentioned that he has seen men with a sperm count of zero - “where there is the production of lots of semen but absolutely no sperm in it” - as a result of marijuana usage.

Until recently the health of sperm was identified by microscopic observation of their speed and shape. But advances in genetics looking at the composition of sperm are leading to some more accurate identification of healthy sperm.

Current research also indicates that male sperm counts are declining in many parts of the world, including America and Europe. In one Danish study, a 1 per cent decline per year in the sperm count has been recorded over the last 50 years. Such findings have their critics particularly in the face of more recent studies that suggest no such decline.

On balance however the current wisdom suggests there is some decline in sperm counts and there seems to be consensus on at least most of the causes. (See the adjoining sidebar)

While there has been no such study conducted in the Bahamas, the men who come to his office seem to have a number of concerns. According to Dr Evans, some men complain that their semen is too thin, while others complain that it is too thick.

What affects these varying levels of consistancy in semen is either the state of hydration of his body, or the state of his vitamin levels, or the levels of enzymes in his body, said Dr Evans.

Though sperm count and infertility is often a sensitive topic for men, which may cause them to shy away from consulting a urologists, Dr Evans warns that the naked eye cannot determine what is or is not healthy sperm.

“The only way to tell is by a microscopic examination of the semen. A man cannot go by the way he feels when he ejaculates, he cannot go by the way the semen looks to him, he cannot go by the way the semen feels to him. It has to be a microscopic examination by an expertly trained person to tell these differences,” said Dr Evans. “That examination is a semen analysis."

Sidebar -
Keeping Sperm Healthy

It is important to remember that there is still a lot to be learnt about male fertility. We do know that a lot of the things that make sperm healthy are the things that are healthy for men anyway. So even if it takes a while for your partner to get pregnant you are not wasting your time!

• Tight trousers and underwear, synthetic material and heat. It has been suggested that all these affect fertility so get out those baggy cotton boxers! Keep the family jewels cool. It is known that the scrotum area needs to be 4 degrees lower than body temperature.

• Climate: Some experts suggest that climate and seasons, countries, regions and different years may all have an influence on sperm counts and fertility. One piece of research showed the sperm count in New York was much higher than Los Angeles, that Finland's was higher than Britain.

• Hot tubs: Frequent hot tubs have been shown to lower sperm counts. Have a shower instead.

• Alcohol: Alcohol can damage sperm. Limit your alcohol intake when you are trying to improve your fertility.

• Drugs: There are a number of drugs that affect fertility, amongst them are steroids, cytotoxic drugs used in cancer treatments and opiates. Contact your family doctor if you are on any long term medication that you are worried may affect your fertility. Doctors should always inform you of any side effects but it is always easy to check if you have forgotten.

• Environmental toxins: There is quite a lot of conflicting evidence about the substances that may cause damage to sperm. It is known that radiation causes damage and birth defects. Other substances thought to have a detrimental effect on sperm are some perfumes containing phthalates, some types of pesticides, organic mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, estrogens in water supply. Many of these substances are still the subject of on-going research.

• Smoking: Smokers have been shown to be up to half as fertile as non smokers.

• Time of day: Sperm counts are higher in the morning so am intercourse is best for baby making!

• Excessive ejaculation and prolonged abstinence: Both are known to affect the number and quality of sperm. Intercourse every 2 to 3 days helps maintain volume.

• Diet: A healthy balanced diet is important. Healthy body healthy sperm!

• Supplements: Folic acid in combination with zinc sulfate has been shown to have often dramatic effects on sperm counts. Some men when taking these supplements increased their sperm count by as much as 74 per cent.

• Source - http://menshealth.about.com

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