GETTING IN SHAPE THIS NEW YEAR? HOW IT MAY HELP YOUR SPERM TOO
22nd December 2017Planning a new diet and fitness regime this January? You won’t just be helping your own health, you may be giving your sperm a boost too.
Whether you’re planning to donate sperm or try for children yourself this year, sperm can be affected by what you eat, drink and your lifestyle.
Diet & male fertility: What some studies show
A 2017 review of 35 different studies into the effects of diet on male fertility showed that a healthy diet may improve semen quality and chance of fertilisation and conception.
Diets rich in some nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and low in saturated fats and trans fats were positively associated with several semen quality parameters.
But diets rich in processed meats, sugar, full-fat dairy, coffee and alcohol were detrimentally associated with the quality of semen in some studies.
A high intake of red meat, processed meat, alcohol and caffeine were also negatively associated with fertilisation rates for pregnancy.
Getting a sperm check when you apply to be a sperm donor
We’ll be able to tell you what shape your sperm is in, when you apply to be a Semovo sperm donor. The first thing we do is perform a thorough semen analysis, which involves us examining a sample of your sperm in our laboratory under the microscope.
We’ll look at all the different characteristics of your sperm that matter for sperm donation, including sperm count, how many are live and how well it swims to reach an egg for fertilisation.
If your sperm isn’t suitable for donation, don’t panic. It doesn’t mean you can’t get someone pregnant. It just means that your sperm isn’t right for use in fertility treatment.
Remember donor sperm has to be of the highest quality, because it has to go through a lot of processes to give someone the chance of a baby, including freezing and thawing.
If we find an issue with your sperm that may affect your ability to conceive your own child, we’ll let you know. We’ll always explain your semen analysis results to you so you understand exactly what they mean.
Apply to be a Semovo sperm donor
As well as a sperm check, all sperm donor applicants also get a thorough health check too, including STI testing and more. It’s all part of the Semovo sperm donation process.
If you’d like to be a Semovo sperm donor, you need to be aged 18-45 and in good health. Explore the full criteria, if you’d like to apply complete our short, no obligation online application form and we’ll contact you, or call the Semovo team on 0345 266 1272.