Couples going through IVF understand that embryo quality plays a big part in healthy pregnancies.
Much of the research is on egg quality and how egg quality can be a determining factor for embryo quality.
Little is mentioned about sperm quality relating to embryo quality. A new study has shown that sperm health is important even with IVF and using ICSI.
What Men Are Doing that Damages Embryo Quality in IVF
This study has shown an association between poor embryo quality and the amount of phthalates found in men. Phthalates are a type of endocrine-damaging substance that is found in many household products. Nearly impossible to completely eliminate a man’s exposure to this has many negative health effects. Embryo quality is a new one to add to the list. This is only the second study that has been done on embryo quality and phthalates in men.
Phthalates are found in most plastics, laundry detergents, modeling clay, kids’ toys, flooring, food containers, and many other common objects. It would be easy to pick out a dozen or more things containing phthalates in every room of your home.
There are some easy ways to help decrease your exposure to these fertility-damaging chemicals, here is a link to some examples.
An interesting thing is that men who have healthy sperm count likely have overall better health. Poor sperm quality may actually indicate a bigger underlying problem. This gives guys a heads-up to improve their health before something possibly more life-threatening appears.
The good news is that there are many ways to help boost your sperm quality.
One of the easiest ways to support your fertility is by taking supplements.
I wrote a blog about supplements that goes over some of the most common things to boost male fertility – “Knock These Back to Knock Her Up”. Diet also plays a big role so guys eating a healthy whole-food diet will have an advantage over the guys who are eating poorly. Read also: Dude Food For Fertility!
We have written case studies where man have increased their sperm quality and can even quadruple the count.
Click the previous links to read more and find out how these men improved their chances of a healthy pregnancy.