Sperm killers and boosters

Deficient sperm production is one of the major concerns of male infertility today to the extent that 90 per cent of male infertility is caused by the failure to produce sperm that is good enough to facilitate conception. Azzospermia occurs when no sperm is produced while olibospermia is diagnosed when few sperm are produced. Since most sperm are destroyed before ever reaching the egg, the more sperm there are the better the chances that one will successfully fertilise the egg. However, a low sperm count, or a total sperm count of less than 5 million/ml, does not necessarily mean that a man is infertile if the sperm that he does have are healthy, properly formed, and mobile. Just why male sperm count has dropped so dramatically is no big mystery. The difficult part is limiting the problem to the most influential factors. The heaviest sperm killers are probably toxins, probably by-products of chlorine and dioxin, one of the most toxic substances known, highly carcinogenic and a potent endocrine disrupter with the capacity to lower sperm counts. Decline in sperm has been linked to events that affect the endocrine system. The damage is often done in the womb, when sperm-producing capacity as an adult is settled for good. Actually, industrial toxins are just the tip of the iceberg. A man can reduce his count further by his lifestyle: Marijuana, cocaine, alcohol, caffeine, sexually transmitted diseases, tight underwear and hot baths (heat is a major sperm killer) can all reduce sperm counts. Most men now work at sit-down desk jobs instead of physical labour. We depend on vehicles to take us places, and even the exercise we think is so good actually sends bursts of sperm-killing heat through our bodies as opposed to slow, steady, daylong muscle use. The introduction of Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) over the last few years has revolutionised the management of male infertility. It offers hope of a genetic child to almost all couples with male-based infertility. Traditionally, a low sperm count is determined by analyzing a semen sample. With male-based infertility, the point in question is when to move to treatment rather than what treatment. Fact is that it is still rare to be able to offer treatment to increase the sperm count or quality and so most treatment options are based on using the sperm that are available in the most likely way to cause fertilisation of an egg. Essentially, the variability that occurs in semen quality from day to day in an individual is poorly understood but the fluctuation may be of marked degree. This variability often leads to people believing that a treatment used has been effective. Although many treatments, ranging from hormonal through herbal to nutritional supplements such as zinc and Vitamin E are used, there is little scientific evidence to support their use.