Sperm count is important in reproductive health. It determines your chances of having children. Sperm is counted against semen or every ejaculate. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a healthy sperm density against a semen sample is 15 million sperm per milliliter. When measured per ejaculate, it should count at 39 million sperm per milliliter.
Any sperm count that falls below these numbers is considered low. That does not mean the end of the road for you. You can work on your diet to increase your sperm count by taking the following vitamins:
1. Vitamin C
It is one of the essential vitamins when it comes to sperm. Whether it is the quality, count and reducing damaged cells, this vitamin has it all. The vitamin is an antioxidant which protects you from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is the availability of free radicals in your blood. These free radicals hinder normal cell reactions by interfering with these reactions to form complex chains.
Such chains interfere with the production of sperm in your testicles. According to studies, vitamin C promotes the production of sperm and reduces the number of deformed sperms by 55%.
2. Vitamin D
It is probably the cheapest vitamin available on earth. Despite it being cheap to get, the role it plays is invaluable. The vitamin may not have a direct impact on increasing sperm count. In fact, several studies have shown that the deficiency of this vitamin does not affect sperm count.
So then, how is it important? It helps in the absorption of essential minerals such as calcium and zinc. This vitamin increases the rate at which the body absorbs these minerals.
The minerals are the core factors for producing many and quality sperm.
3. Vitamin B12
This vitamin works on your DNA. According to studies, a sample population of men treated with vitamin B12, 27% recorded a significant increase in sperm count. Another Japanese study established that administering vitamin B12 to its sample gave stability to the sperm. According to the study, the longer the time of taking this vitamin, the more it increased the stability of the sperm.
Vitamin B12 increases sperm motility when it is enough. It also helps in repairing damaged sperm DNA. As a result, your chances of getting a healthy baby increase.
4. L-Arginine
It is responsible for sperm development. According to studies, l-arginine produces a polyamine called spermine. This polyamine is found in the semen and is responsible for stabilizing and preserving the sperm DNA. It also gives sperm its distinctive smell that you get after ejaculation.
According to urologists, a daily dose of between 4g and 8g should be taken. Adequate production of L-arginine makes sure the structure, the form and the head of the sperm have normal development. L-arginine also enables sperm to swim effectively. The ability of sperm to swim increases your chances of becoming a father.
Effects of Low Sperm Count
When low sperm count is not treated, it can lead to several undesirable effects. They include the following:
A. Infertility
The number of sperms released per ejaculation is a determining factor of whether you can get children or not. Low sperm count comes along with other effects. When your sperms are few, there is a possibility that some of your ejaculations will only contain semen.
Others might not have the motility to reach the ovum. As a result, infertility knocks at your door without mercy.
B. Costly Medical Procedures
Low sperm count can cost you a fortune. When you want to make a baby, you might need to use medical procedures such as the IVF. The procedure itself is a real expense, and if you are not planned enough, you might not afford it.
You might also have to undergo some surgery. Such surgeries aim at correcting the factor causing low sperm count. These types of surgeries are also expensive to undergo
C. Mental Disturbance
Having a low sperm count can be traumatizing to both you and your partner. Everybody experiences a moment when both partners want to expand your family. However, this condition restrains you from achieving your desire. The inability to enlarge your family affects both of you. If you are not promptly taken care of, you become stressed and in severe cases depressed.
You need to seek psychological assistance at this point, to help you overcome the challenge. Support from friends is also essential as it enables you to clear your mind.
Psychologists recommend engaging ourselves in fun activities that need our full attention when we are mentally troubled. It helps us focus on the activity, and we forget our worries. Our minds get relaxed, and we live at that moment. Such activities accelerate healing. We recover quickly and are able to continue with our schedules.
Having to deal with low levels of sperm count is not easy. It affects us psychologically; financially and also socially. We should protect our sperm levels when we can, by eating foods rich in essential vitamins.
We should also take regular checkups to help us know when our levels raise a red flag. At this point, we should seek advice from our doctors to give solutions in curbing the situation before it gets out of hand. We should also avoid self-administered medications. Low sperm count is a serious condition that requires professional attention. Are we not focusing on a more permanent solution?
