The HEALTH : Xtra October 2018 | Page 19

Xtra Quality Seed Through Supplement Nutritional supplements to increase sperm quality Hans Imhof highlighting the importance of the role of micronutrients in male fertility. SUPPLEMENT OVER SURGERY: Logen P Singam stressing the need of nutritional supplement rather than immediately resorting to surgery to treat varicocele. I As a guideline, a healthy sperm count is at 15 million at any one time. The more you have, the more likely one of them will make it through the female reproductive system and ultimately, to an egg. NFERTILITY is a growing problem worldwide and while it is not actually treatable, several factors play a key role in improving and managing the issue. For instance, having a healthy diet, consuming supplements and other healthier lifestyle activities. Eating well has long been associated as one of the key factors in prolonging fertility in women. Doctors continuously advise to reduce intake of alcohol and to have an increased consumption of healthier food. However, as common as these advices are with battling female infertility, nutri- tion plays an equally important role when it comes to male infertility. ‘Healthy sperm’ is implied by having a healthy number and quality. As a guideline, a healthy sperm count is at 15 million at any one time. The more you have, the more likely one of them will make it through the female reproductive system and ultimately, to an egg. The quality of a sperm on the other hand affects the movement and shape of a sperm. A less-than-active or misshapen sperm would most likely not make it to an egg. According to Professor of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Professor Martin Hans Imhof of Vienna, Austria – half of all fertility treatments involve male infertility issues, mainly the decline of sperm quality over the years. This coincides with the decline of quality of nutrition in food. “For instance, fruits are produced in EXPERIENCING VARICOCELE AND TREATING IT WITH NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENT Varicocele is an abnormal enlargement of the veins within the loose bag of skin that holds the testicles. The condition causes low sperm production and decreased sperm quality, which causes infertility. Common treatments include an open surgery or a laparoscopic surgery. However, according to Firstline Business Development director Logen P Singam, varicocele has different levels of severity and not all levels will require surgery. Instead, nutritional support such as Profortil will help to boost the capacity and quality of sperm. As men continue to produce sperm even until the age of 80, it is important for them to consume nutritional supplements that will provide the correct balance of nutrients to help further improve sperm quality and male fertility. 17 FERTILE NUTRIENTS: Professor Martin every season due to demand, this then leads to companies producing fruits in masses through chemical means causing a steady decline of quality in nutrition.” Focusing on the role of micro nutrition, Martin said that this was a global issue. Quality of micronutrients, according to him, goes to the extent of influencing the production of sperm with over 80 percent of men having an abnormal sperm count. Alcohol intake should also be taken as an important factor that influences the pos- sibility of male infertility. Treatment in relation to micro nutrition involves male hormone checks and DNA fragmentation in order to identify the exact problem. “By the age of 35, the quality of sperm goes through a decline. However, with the aid of DNA fragmentation test, this will showcase the percentage of breaks the sperm has in the DNA, and the improvement of that, will increase the success rate in infertile couples.” Despite having an advantage when it comes to managing male infertility, Martin advices for men to do a fertility check-up after the age of 30 as the loss can be more dramatic with age. Profortil, a nutritional supplement designed to further improve sperm quality.