There's a lot of focus put on female health and lifestyle when a couple is trying to conceive.
But there is less attention given to the man and what he should and shouldn't be doing to make sure his sperm are up for the task.
Yes, us women carry the baby and nourish it for the nine months until it's ready to enter the world.
Healthy sperm
But when it comes to starting a family, it's just as important for the man to make some dietary and lifestyle changes to boost fertility through healthy sperm and thus increase your chances of conceiving.
So here are 5 things your partner shouldn't be doing if you're trying to get pregnant.
- Smoking: Nicotine reduces fertility so it's an absolute no if you're trying to conceive.
- Smoking weed: It decreases both the production of sperm and the shape of the sperm. Other recreational drugs to avoid are anabolic steroids and cocaine.
- Having your laptop on your knee: The heat increases the temperature of your testicles and that affects sperm quality.
- Eating a poor diet: A key element of this is a diet high in processed meat as it is packed full of chemicals which affect sperm quality.
- Stressing: Stress can affect male fertility in various ways. It can lower a man's sex drive, which may reduce how often you have sex, thus affecting your chances of conceiving. But severe stress can actually limit sperm production. So it's important that your partner manages his stress levels when you're trying to get pregnant.
Dietary affects on sperm
You are what you eat, and so is your sperm!
So what your partner consumes will very much affect his sperm quality and quantity.
Sperm-boosting foods include:
- at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day
- high fibre starchy foods like potatoes, bread, rice or pasta
- dairy or dairy alternatives, such as soya drinks and yoghurts
- beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein