What kind of exercise can increase male fertility?

Not everyone who finds it difficult to have children is infertile. If you are called infertile or infertile, this means that you have not been able to produce offspring after one year of unprotected sex. This is experienced by about one in eight couples. Currently infertility has been categorized as a disease by World Health Organization (WHO) , American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

What causes a man to be infertile?

About 90 percent of male infertility is caused by low sperm count or low sperm quality, while the remaining 10 percent is caused by structural abnormalities, hormonal imbalances, genetics, and other things. Although many studies focus on the importance of a woman to maintain her body in order to conceive, several studies also focus on the importance for men to maintain their body condition in order to remain fertile.

Recent research has shown that exercise can improve sperm quality and quantity in men who were previously sedentary,

Exercise affects sperm quality

In one study, scientists studied the effect of four types of exercise on sperm quality in 261 men over 6 months. The participants were divided into four groups, namely the group that did not exercise, the group that exercised vigorously three times a week with treadmill , a group that exercised at moderate intensity three times a week for 30 minutes with treandmill , and the group that exercised with heavy intensity three times a week for 1 hour without breaking up treadmill .

The researchers took their sperm samples before, during, and after the 6 month period of the study to assess the movement of the sperm, their number, size, shape, volume, and inflammatory markers.

The result, after 24 weeks, the group that exercised with moderate intensity had the best development, although the other two groups who exercised also experienced improvements compared to the group that did not exercise. However, these improvements would return to their original numbers if the men stopped exercising for one week.

What kind of exercise is better for making a man more fertile?

Researchers think that while weight loss during the six months of exercise is one of the factors that support sperm repair, men who do moderate-intensity exercise experience more satisfactory results. This is because in moderate intensity exercise, a person is protected from inflammation and heavy oxidative stress.

Researchers claim that exposure to electromagnetic waves, heat, poor nutrition, obesity, drugs, alcohol, and cycling can reduce sperm quality, and improving these factors means improving sperm quality as well.

Another study involving 31 men, 16 of whom were active in sports (but not cycling) while the remaining 15 were not active in sports. All of the men underwent a sperm test, and the results showed that men who regularly exercised had higher sperm concentrations and higher semen volumes.

In an older study, the same researchers found that men who did vigorous exercise experienced reduced sperm quality, but men who exercised moderately experienced improved sperm quality.

Conclusion

Although research shows that exercise can be a simple, inexpensive, and effective solution in improving sperm quality, it is important to remember that infertility is not a simple matter. A person does not experience infertility based solely on sperm count, therefore, lifestyle changes may not be the only solution to the problem.

In addition, if you want to make exercise a method to improve sperm quality, you certainly have to consider the duration, intensity, and type of exercise you do. Remember, moderate intensity exercise is more beneficial than vigorous exercise.

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