Why can't I get my wife Pregnant? This is a HUGE question to answer, with many layers and issues going on. Male Infertility is AS important as female infertility. To help you start addressing it, we'll discuss strategies to help improve Male fertility and where to seek further assistance.
Statistics suggest Male Infertility is around 40-43% and mainly due to Sperm Counts.
Little do many men know that they have the BIGGEST potential to enact change on their sperm by making changes to their lifestyle, diet and health. Women can also to some extent, but the rate of change for Male sperm count happens much faster. This is because in a healthy male, sperm production occurs EVERY day.
Where a woman's cycle is monthly, a man's is daily.
This can affect young men as well as older men - its all about how you treat your body.
[perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""] Men, this is to your advantage, so work with your biology here. Yes, it's not rocket science that changing your lifestyle will change your health. Ho-hum. BUT I want to put this into perspective for you. Your testicles are a microcosm. Like the canary in the coal mine if you will. [/perfectpullquote]
When something is not alright in there, it will show up in the macrocosm, the rest of your body, your life. And this may be why you're suspecting something is not right, or asking yourself, Why can't I get my wife Pregnant.
The testicles are like a sensitive barometer to your overall health. If you're finding it challenging, disappointing, even gut-wrenching that as a couple you're not conceiving, start with your own health.
Rather than asking "WHY can't I get my wife Pregnant?", it becomes about "HOW can I help this situation?"
Here are my go-to tips for couples trying to conceive, when there is a potential for male infertility:
- Get tested - everything; bloods, sperm, stress, general health check by your doctor. Also get your wife to go through all female hormone testing to check where the issue lies. This is not about blame or pointing the finger, more about getting to the root of the problem and sorting out clinically the real-time problems you need to be addressing.
- Exercise - make a point of getting off the couch and playstation and getting out to exercise. Find what motivates you - exercising with a friend, PT, bootcamp, solo. Set a goal for exercise and commit to it.
- Water - Drink a minimum of 2L of water per day. Include electrolytes if you're a particularly sweaty guy, if you run hot easily, or are doing manual labouring at work.
- Sleep - are you getting a minimum of 7hrs per night? If not, why do you think you're struggling with sleep? Is there things on your busy mind? Stress? Work pressures? How can you make your evening more relaxing to wind down into a calmer sleep?
- Screentime - Computer screens may be part of your job, but you don't have to stay glued to them all day and night. Blue screens are disastrous for sleep, please avoid in them evenings to give yourself the best sleep possible.
- Stress management - Remember, seeking professional help such as a counsellor can be practical. Addressing why you feel all the pressure is on you to "get my wife Pregnant" in the first place could be a start. Conception IS a 50/50 dynamic - its about taking responsibility for your part in this. But taking on ALL or NONE is unproductive.
- Stop smoking weed - if you're serious about getting your wife pregnant, you must stop smoking marijuana. THC is an endocrine disruptor and will affect sperm morphology and count. I recommend seeking help from the resources below for tobacco and alcohol.
- Stop smoking tobacco - Same with cigarettes, they're filled with numerous cytotoxins and pollutants, not great for sperm production, quality and count. Get the support you need to quit by using resources such as Quitline, a counsellor or Clinical Hypnotherapist. (I refer my clients to this one)
- Alcohol - Hmm... this is a tricky one, because it is ingrained in our social lives. Excessive drinking is not helpful at all to a couple really trying to conceive. No matter how much your mates give you a hard time about it, having boundaries about alcohol consumption is a good idea. I'm not going to say have none, but reducing drinks to sensible and REASONABLE levels is wise. 1-3 may be tolerable for you. But yes Alcohol in excess, binge drinking, alcoholism, chronic drinking all come under this category. Seek help if you need it from Alcoholics Anonymous, a counsellor or organisations such as Beyond Blue or Lifeline.
- Nutrition - More than just going on a diet, it really depends on your health goals and your doctor may be able to give you a starting point. You may need to lose some weight, get fit, increase muscle tone or even gain some kilos to a healthy weight. Everyone is different. After getting tests done and starting with your GP, I recommend my clients see this Functional Nutritionist.
- Supplements - The generic brands such as menevit are very general, low potency supplements. I would recommend speaking to a Nutritionist or naturopath about what EXACTKY it is you need help with. Are you Zinc deficient? Testosterone deficient? Do you have heavy metal toxicity? They can also help you check in with lifestyle changes - managing stress, are you exposed to chemicals or endocrine disruptor plastics on a regular basis. All of these things help to unravel why you may be infertile.
- Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine - I am biased here because I am a Registered Practitioner. There are many helpful strategies Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine can do for Men who suspect they could be infertile, or know they are. Starting with Nourishment, Relaxation and Stress management, TCM uses strategies to help the body become strong where it is deficient, relaxed where it is tense and nourished where it is exhausted. Specific Chinese Herbal Medicine formulas focus on building Kidney Yin & Yang which may assist with seminal fluid volume, sperm count and morphology. Kidney Jing is an important theme here too and you can read more about Kidney Jing in this article here.
THE POINT of this is to show you there are ways to help you make changes to your sperm health and health overall. You have the advantage of Biology where you regenerate your sperm often and frequently. It's just time you started to look after yourself and your anatomy. It's only an indicator of what you've done to it so far. Help is easy to access - by approaching the afore mentioned resources, practitioners and your doctor. But there is huge potential within your reach if you take some action.
CHANGES CAN BE MADE when you decide to start helping yourself get there. Then you won't be asking 'Why can't I get my wife pregnant?'. You will have a plan and steps to move forward and do something about it. Which is the most empowering place to be.
For more Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine support or information you can email info@springfertility.com.au
