Are you concerned about male fertility?
There has been much talk in the press recently about the possible danger of mobile phones and the detrimental effect they may be having on male fertility. Male fertility essentially refers to sperm count and motility of sperm. Unlike women whose eggs are there when they are born men make sperm on a regular basis. This is good news since it means the men have greater control over male fertility and the health of their sperm.
How does Acupuncture Help?
Acupuncture seeks to:
- Improve blood flow in the testicles
- Regulate temperature in and around the testicles
- Reduce inflammation
- Improve sperm maturation and motility
To book an appointment phone Angela on 07919 930188 now
More Facts about Male Fertility:
So how do health care professionals determine male fertility. This is done through a semen analysis test, which provides information and sperm and semen. This is what they are looking for:
Amount and thickness of semen. The typical ejaculate is 2-6 milliliters (mL) of semen, or around a 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon. Less semen than that may not contain enough sperm to achieve a pregnancy. More semen than that could dilute the concentration of sperm. Semen should be thick to start with and become thinner 10 to 15 minutes after ejaculation. Semen that stays thick may make it difficult for sperm to move.
Sperm concentration. Also called sperm density, this is the number of sperm in millions per milliliter (mL) of semen. Twenty million or more sperm per mL is considered normal.
Sperm motility. This is the percentage of sperm in a sample that are moving as well as an assessment of their movement. One hour after ejaculation, at least 50% of sperm should be moving forward in a straight line.
Morphology. This is an analysis of the sperm size, shape, and appearance. The test analyzes 200 sperm, noting any defects.
It takes approximately 100 days to grow and mature sperm. Only mature sperm can fertilise an egg. Many factors such as life style, diet, injuries etc can affect the quality and quantity of sperm. Initially the sperm inside the body. Then they move into the epidymis (20 foot long series of coiled tubes) for another to gather and mature.
Each sperm is ideally made up of a head, mid piece and tail. The head contains special enzymes which enable the sperm to penetrate the egg. It also contains the nucleus with 23 chromosomes. Half of all sperm carry a Y chromosome and the other half an X chromosome. It is these that determine the sex of the baby. Y for girls, X for boys. The mid piece contains the energy supply to power the tail. The whip like tail lashes energetically from side to side to propel the sperm on its journey. All 3 parts need to be in good working order for the sperm to be viable.
