5 things a man can do to prepare for IVF

Did you know, it is just as important for a man to prepare for IVF as it is for a woman? Having healthy sperm is essential in the success of your fertility treatment as it’s half of the genetic make-up of your baby!

When it comes to IVF, it is beneficial that both partners are happy, healthy and fully prepared for their treatment. We want you to get the very best from your treatment, so we have created our 5 top tips on how men can prepare for IVF to ensure you are getting the most of your time with us

1. Improving your diet.
   It has been proven in recent research that men’s diets are affecting their fertility just as much as women’s. By ensuring you’re eating lots of fruit and vegetables, and a range of nutritious foods, you can help create and maintain healthy sperm. Nutrients such as Vitamin B9 (folate), Omega 3 and Vitamin D are key to keeping your sperm in tip top condition.
   
   
2. Watch where you're getting your protein.
   Another important factor in sperm production are the sex hormones involved with spermatogenesis. However, there are types of protein that can negatively impact on these hormones and their balance. These include, health supplements, such as soy (or soya) based protein shakes, and steroids, such as testosterone. Long term steroid use prevents the hormone responsible for sperm production being released naturally, and therefore, sperm production can cease, and this can often be irreversible.
   
   
3. Keep your testes cool.
   Overheating the testes can cause your sperm to suffer from heat shock, which will ultimately cause damage to them, and making them less successful in the fertilisation process. Things such as placing a laptop on your lap can be detrimental to the success of your sperm.
   
   
4. Quit smoking.
   By quitting smoking you are able to reduce the amount of “free radicals” (stress) your sperm is exposed to. This prevents potential DNA damage and improves the quality of your sperm, in turn, making them more likely to be successful in fertilisation.
   
   
5. Drink in moderation
   Excessive amounts of alcohol consumption can damage the quality of your sperm, which can result in malformed or damaged DNA in fertilisation. Drinking in moderation, or not at all, is very much recommended before undergoing fertility treatment.

It must be noted that any changes you make to your diet or daily habits will take at least 3 months to take effect. This is because spermatogenesis (the process of sperm production) takes this long inside the testes. So, if you’d like to make a difference to your chances of conceiving, it might be beneficial to you to begin your preparation sooner rather than later.

Have any further questions about how you can prepare for your fertility treatment, please feel free to contact Care.