FOODS THAT INCREASE YOUR SPERM COUNT

A common cause of male infertility is a low sperm count. A normal sperm concentration is approximately 20 million/ml of semen. A count of 10 million/ml of semen or less indicates a low sperm concentration. The good news is that nutrition can play a significant role in increasing your sperm count. It is possible that with a healthy diet you can improve your sperm quantity and quality. Foods that contain zinc, whole grains, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin C, omega-3 fatty acids and water can help you increase your sperm count and improve your fertility.

Oysters

Oysters contain elevated levels of zinc, which is essential for increasing sperm production. Oysters also have the ability to act as an aphrodisiac increasing sexual desire. According to the Increase Ejaculate Volume website, zinc is a trace mineral that highly affects the health of your sperm. It plays a vital role in maintaining your sperm count, sperm motility and a high percentage of live sperm in the semen. Men lose a large amount of zinc when they ejaculate, so it is important to replenish the body with foods rich in zinc. A deficiency in zinc can lead to decreased sperm production and infertility in men. Other foods that are rich in zinc include lamb, turkey and 

Spinach

According to Modern Mom, spinach contains a high level of folic acid. When eaten in conjunction with foods high in vitamin C to help absorption, spinach helps to increase overall sperm health, production and motility. Folic acid can also protect men from producing abnormal sperm. A deficiency in folic acid can cause sperm damage and lower a male's sperm count. Some other foods that contain folic acid are oranges, liver, cereal and bread.

Eggs

Eggs are high in vitamin E and can help increase sperm count. The Fertility Shop states that vitamin E is essential for fertility and reproduction. Low vitamin E levels can cause a decline in the formation of key sex hormones and enzymes responsible for sperm production. Some additional foods that contain vitamin E are nuts, seeds and avocados.

Broccoli

Broccoli contains a high amount of vitamin A, which increases male fertility, according to Quips and Tips for Couples Coping with Infertility. Eating foods rich in vitamin A can increase sperm count, production and motility. Sluggish sperm caused by a deficiency in vitamin A can lower fertility. Other foods that contain a healthy amount of vitamin A are red peppers, carrots and collard greens.

Oranges

Oranges contain a high amount of the antioxidant vitamin C, which is important for preventing low sperm count. Modern Mom states that vitamin C helps your body absorb folic acid, increase sperm production and counteract sperm damage. Men who are deficient in vitamin C have a higher chance of sperm sticking together to cause a decrease in sperm motility. Other foods rich in vitamin C include asparagus, grapefruits and strawberries.

Salmon

Salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids, which help to improve blood flow to the genitals and increase sexual function, per Quips and Tips for Couples Coping with Infertility. The Male Fertility Resource states that omega-3 fatty acids create the chemicals that are vital for sperm production. Men who are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids do not produce enough viable semen to support conception. Other foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids are sardines, walnuts and arugula.

Brazil Nuts

Brazil nuts contain elevated amounts of the nutrient selenium, which is necessary for the development of normal sperm, sperm production and sperm motility. The Fertility Shop states that selenium helps to prevent oxidation of the sperm cell, thus aiding in maintaining sperm cell integrity. A diet low in selenium can be a cause of male infertility. Other good sources of selenium can be found in beef, liver and turkey.

Do You Need A Twin

Naturally conceived twins occur in about 1 out of every 89 births.  Under normal circumstances, your odds of conceiving twins are slim.  Taking fertility medications or undergoing a procedure like IVF can increase your chances of conceiving twins, but you may be curious if there is anything you can do to naturally increase your chances of having twins.

How are twins conceived?

Most twins are fraternal.  Fraternal twins develop from two separate eggs.  Identical twins are rare and happen as a result of just one egg which splits sometime in early pregnancy.  Fraternal twins are conceived when two eggs are released during ovulation whereas identical twins are more of a random fluke.

Can you increase your chances of having twins?

Yes, there are some things that will increase your chances of having twins, but some of these things are really out of your control.  Having a family history of twins will increase your chances of having twins.  This is true if you have a family history of twins, meaning someone on your mother’s side or father’s side of the family has had twins, especially if they had fraternal twins.  If your partner has twins in his family, it doesn’t help you any.  The reason being is that there may be some genetic component that may cause you to produce more than one egg during ovulation.  This “twin gene” may be passed down from your parents to you.  Identical twins are not thought to be hereditary.

Other factors that may affect your chances of having twins are your ethnicity and your age.  African American women are more likely to conceive twins than Caucasian women.  And, Asian women have a lower chance of conceiving twins.  Twins are also more common in older women.

Things you can do to naturally increase your chances of having twins:

Take a folic acid supplement:  There have been a few studies on the link between folic acid and conceiving twins.  One Australian study found that women who took folic acid before they got pregnant were more likely to conceive twins.  In fact, according to this study, you may have a 40% or greater chance of conceiving twins if you take folic acid while you are trying to conceive.  Some other studies have shown contradictory results making it hard to say for sure if folic acid actually increases your odds of conceiving twins.  Nevertheless, folic acid also helps to prevent neural tube defects so it is a good idea to take a folic acid supplement (or a multi vitamin with folic acid) even if you aren’t trying to conceive twins.

Gain weight:  A study published in the March 2005 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology found that women who were overweight had a higher chance of having twins.  Women who were tall also had a higher chance of having twins.

Eat dairy products:  According to a recent study by Dr. Gary Steinman, a physician at Long Island Jewish Medical Center who is well known for research on multiple birth pregnancies, women who eat dairy are five times more likely to conceive twins than women who don’t.  Dr. Steinman’s study compared women who ate a regular diet with vegan women and vegetarian women who consumed dairy products.  Vegans appear to be less likely to conceive twins according to the study.   But, it may not be so much that consuming dairy increases your chances of having twins; but rather, that consuming milk or other dairy products from growth hormone treated cows increases your chances of having twins.

Continue breastfeeding:  If you are breastfeeding and would like to conceive twins, you may want to hold off on weaning your little one.  According to one twin study, women who were breastfeeding when they conceived were nine times more likely to conceive twins than women who are were not breastfeeding.

Try to conceive shortly after discontinuing birth control pills:  Sometimes when a woman quits using birth control pills, her body gets “out of wack” as it tries to start regulating its own hormone production again.  If a woman has been using the pill for six months or more her body adjusts to the birth control controlling her hormones so when she stops taking the pill, her body may take a cycle or two to get her hormones working the way they are supposed to.   When this happens, women sometimes receive a little too much hormone stimulation.  This can cause the ovaries to release one too many eggs during the first ovulatory cycle or two after discontinuing the pill.  So if you want to have twins, the first cycle or two after stopping the pill is a great time to try!

Eat wild yams:  We are not sure if this one will really work but it can’t hurt.  The theory behind eating yams is that there may be a chemical in wild yams, or cassava root, which may cause hyperstimulation of the ovaries, resulting in the release of more than one egg during ovulation.  We are not sure if this is true or not but one town in Africa, Igbo-Ora, is known for having a high rate of twins.  This small town in Nigeria claims to have the highest rate of twins in the world, 4 times higher than the rest of the world’s population.  Researchers started looking into the diet of this African town and concluded that the reason for the high rate of twins might be due to their diet.  People in the town of Igbo-Ora consume a large amount of cassava root, a wild yam.  Researchers believe that the wild yams may play a role in the high rate of twins conceived in this town.

Have a big family:  Having a big family also naturally increases your chances of having twins.  It makes sense, the more times you are pregnant, the more likely it is that one of your pregnancies will be twins.

Try to get pregnant when you are older: Women who are older are more likely to have twins.  Women over 45 have a 17% chance of conceiving twins, but they also have a lower fertility rate so it probably won’t make sense to wait until you are older just to conceive twins.  Still, if you are older and are able to conceive, you are more likely to have twins than someone younger.  The reason being is most likely related to the fact that older women start producing higher levels of FSH, follicle stimulating hormone.  FSH is a hormone that tells your ovaries to start maturing an egg for ovulation.  As you get older, you have less eggs and lower quality eggs, so to compensate your body starts producing more FSH.  This increase in FSH production may cause an older woman to be over stimulated and result in the release of more than one egg during ovulation; thus, increasing the chances of conceiving twins.