Boxer or brief????

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand.”
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

Infertility has largely been seen as a female problem and so less focus has been given to male infertility.

“Male infertility occurs as a result of hormone disorders, illness, reproductive anatomy trauma and obstruction, and sexual dysfunction can temporarily or permanently affect sperm and prevent conception. Some disorders become more difficult to treat the longer they persist without treatment.”

For more information on male infertility, please visit:-
http://www.urologychannel.com/maleinfertility/index.shtml

For many couple who are struggling with infertility, sometimes it is a male factor infertility or sometimes both because when we were struggling with primary infertility, apart from my Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) condition, my husband was also diagnosed with sperm motility problems (The forward swimming motion of each sperm). This seem to have cleared up on its own because he was never treated. I guess his little guys realized that they had work to do and so they cleared up their act.

My reason for doing this post, apart from it being a reminder because many of you might know this information already, I was reading one of my fellow bloggers blog and I saw where she did a post advising that anti-depressants affects male fertility. I did see while researching that medication taken for high blood pressure and arthritis also affects male infertility.

Fom article
"study of 35 healthy men given paroxetine -- sold as Paxil or Seroxat by GlaxoSmithKline -- found that, on average, the proportion of sperm cells with fragmented DNA rose from 13.8 percent before treatment to 30.3 percent after just four weeks.Similar levels of sperm DNA damage have been linked to problems with embryo viability in couples trying to have children.
The research by Peter Schlegel and Cigdem Tanrikut of the Cornell Medical Center in New York was reported in New Scientist magazine and is due to be presented in November at a meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.A copy of the study abstract was made available to Reuters."The fertility potential of a substantial proportion of men on paroxetine may be adversely affected by these changes in sperm DNA integrity," the experts concluded.

The study adds to concerns voiced by the same doctors in 2006, after finding that two men had developed low counts of healthy sperm following treatment with two different selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).SSRIs like Paxil/Seroxat and Eli Lilly's Prozac, both of which are now available generically, are the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressant.

Glaxo said it was reviewing the investigators' findings, since the study was not conducted by the company."These medicines remain an important option, in addition to counseling and lifestyle changes, for treatment of depression and this study should not be used to cause unnecessary concern for patients," a spokeswoman said."

Please follow the link to continue reading
http://infertility-fertility.blogspot.com/2009/04/antidepressents-ssris-hurt-sperm.

She also did a post advising that Vitamins C and E can help male infertility.

From article
"New research published in Cleveland Clinic's Urology News shows that abnormal amounts of free radicals, naturally occurring but sometimes dangerous molecules that can damage cells, may be responsible for infertility in some men. Vitamins C and E, which are called antioxidants, may have the power to neutralize sperm-busting free radicals......Looking at the sperm of men with unexplained infertility, Agarwal has found that levels of a certain type of free radical, which he calls reactive oxygen species, are especially high in these men.

While low levels of these free radicals are necessary for the production of normal sperm, levels that are too high have been linked to the destruction of sperm"

Please follow the link to continue reading
http://infertility-fertility.blogspot.com/2007/04/vitamins-c-and-e-for-mens-fertility.html

I have often heard it said that men should stop wearing briefs and wear boxers instead to decrease the heat that goes to the scrotum area because this heat can interfere with their fertility. In the same way, they should not stand in front of a microwave when it is in use, I guess this has to do with radiation. These seem to be myths for now as throughout my research I did not find any information to substantiate these claims.

I did find however that men who use laptops on their laps a whole lot could be interfering with their fertility also because of excess heat going to the scrotum.

From the article

"Balancing laptop computers on the lap raises the scrotum's temperature, say researchers including Yefim Sheynkin, MD, FACS, of the urology department at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

About 15%-20% of couples that want to get pregnant aren't able to conceive. Many of those cases trace back to issues relating to the male. Gradually declining sperm production has been noted in recent decades, say the researchers.

Elevated scrotal temperatures have been linked to male infertility. Many factors can raise scrotal temperature, including hot baths, saunas, and tight jockey shorts.

Laptop computers may also belong on that list, say Sheynkin's team. They studied 29 healthy young men ages 21 to 35 for two, one-hour sessions in a climate-controlled room."

Please follow the link to continue reading:-

http://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/news/20041208/laptop-computers-may-affect-male-fertility

Hope this information helps if part of your struggles with infertility happens to be male factor infertility.

Until next time, keep clinging to hope