Men, exercise and fertility: a follow-up post

Earlier last week I addressed the relationship between women, exercise and their fertility levels, AmyK brought up a great point in the comments of that post Exercise and infertility: how closely are they related? asking about the relationship between men, exercise and their fertility levels. It didn't surprise me too much to learn that the relationship is essentially the same.

Regular exercise - 30 minutes three times a week - for men (and women, too, for that matter) can help maintain a healthy weight and optimum health. For overweight or obese individuals, losing weight can help produce healthier sperm (or eggs) as well as improve your sex life. However, one must be realistic in exercise, muscle building and weight loss. Using steroids to change your body mass can make you impotent. Over-exercising, though, can also have a negative impact on sperm production. Men who exercise to the point of exhaustion show a similar type of temporary change in hormone levels as women do - lowering sperm quality. The amount of testosterone in a man's body is lowered when exercising to exhaustion. When a man is too thin, sperm counts and quality also decreases.

Compression-type of exercises, such as cycling, horseback riding and rowing can also change the quality of sperm in a man's body. The constriction of blood flow between the scrotum and rectum can cause impotence and complicate the process of trying to conceive. These bodily positions also may raise a man's testicle temperature; sperm need to sit at about 96 degrees (average body temperature - for a reason!) and if testicles become warmer than this, sperm can die, lowering the count.

So, AmyK, men just need moderate exercise, too!

Have you read the boxers vs. briefs debate? Boxers vs. Briefs: Common Infertility Myths Explained & Boxers vs. Briefs: Increasing sperm count