Sperm health, or your ability to impregnate your partner, is a combination of several factors. Among these factors are the following:
•Quantity counts. If your semen contains in excess of 39 million sperm, you are most likely to successfully father a child.
•Quality does, too. A normally shaped sperm with an egg-shaped head and a long tail are much more likely to fertilize an egg. Experts say that conception is much more likely if more than four percent of your sperm fit this description.
•Motility matters. Sperm have to swim to reach their goal, and then they have to struggle to fertilize the egg. Strong, mobile sperm are much more likely to claim the prize. You're most likely to be fertile if more than 40 percent of your sperm are moving.
There are things you can do to make your sperm healthier. Try these ideas:
•Get the right nutrients. Add a daily multivitamin to your routine, and increase your consumption of anti-oxidant-rich fruits and vegetables.
•Decrease your stress. Stress may lead your body to produce less of certain hormones that are associated with the production of sperm. It also is associated with decreased sexual function.
•Get enough exercise. Physical activity is beneficial to your health in general and reproductive health is no exception. This is not the time to push the envelope, however. Exhaustion is associated with decreased sperm quality.
•Maintain a healthy body weight. Body fat impacts your body's production of hormones, including reproductive hormones. This can cause a reduction in sperm levels and cause you to produce more abnormal sperm.