Men>45 years of age have more difficulty reproducing. Sperm motility decreases with advancing age and there is a 1.5% increase in serious birth defects with advancing paternal age.
Men> age 50 increase the risk of miscarriage 2 times that of younger men as well as increase the risk of preterm births and increased aneupleudy (unrepaired chromosomal errors). The percentage of sperm DNA fragmentation increases with advancing age.
Schizophrenia is found to be 3 times higher in offspring of those with advancing paternal age>50.
Old paternal age increases single gene mutations; “ the spermatic engine is trying to make sperm but is not able to keep up with the quality control”
It is suspected that 20-30% of Autism is from fathers of older age.
Acute and chronic stress significantly reduces testosterone levels through low FSH and LH. Low testosterone levels reduce sperm maturation and progression.
The placenta is derived primarily from the male contribution
Male infertility has a 3 times increased risk of cancer than the general population. Also male infertility increases the risk of more aggressive prostate cancer.
Omega 3 and 6 can improve male fertility as well as vit D3, L-carnitine 500-1000mgs/day, selenium, zinc, calcium, and vit C
Cancer:
Total body radiation irreversibly damages sperm production worse than does chemotherapy. It is best to preserve your sperm prior to undergoing cancer treatment.
Men with very low numbers of ejaculated sperm:
Men who have blocked vas deferens have much better sperm and significantly better sperm for fertilization that those without obstruction. Men with extremely low sperm concentration have much poorer pregnancy results because their factory is not working well and there are greater number of toxins in the ejaculated sperm than sperm retrieved directly from their testicle.
Chromosomal deletions are rare in sperm from men with sperm concentrations > 5 million.
Tidbits of useful fertility information:
Avoid herbal medications while trying to conceive because of heavy metal contaminants found in many of them.
Heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, move directly into the oocyte (egg) and increases oxidative stress.
PCB’s and BPA’s found in plastic bottles in chronic high use:
- Reduces pool of oocytes (eggs)
- Increases pregnancy loss (miscarriages)
- Effects the miotic spindle
- Alters the estradiol response
- Reduces aromatase
- Reduces IVF fertilization rates
- Significantly reduces testosterone in men
- Reduces sperm and embryo quality
- Omega 3 fish oils 1-2,000iu/day
- Vitamin D3 3-5,000iu/day
- Vitamin C 500mgs/day
- Calcium 1000mgs/day
- In women>35 yrs of age: DHEA 25mgs 2-3x/day
- coQ10 300-400mgs/day
- Folic acid 1 mg/day reduces neural tube defects and miscarriages in some
