For a few months before you want to conceive, you can help keep your testicles cool by avoiding very hot baths or spas, not putting your laptop on your lap, and wearing loose-fitting underwear. If you are planning on a baby, check if you have any sexually transmitted infection (STIs), as they can lead to infertility.
It's a misconception that men have to save up sperm when it's baby-making time. In fact, frequent sexual activity is important for sperm health. “If the body isn't getting the message to produce sperm, it won't produce as much,” says Baratz.
For men with normal sperm counts, studies find that semen volume and sperm count/concentration increase after two days of abstinence. However, sperm quality—the motility (movement) and morphology (shape) of sperm—decrease after two days of abstinence, with a significant impact seen after 7–10 days.
For healthy semen samples collected between 5:00am and 7:30am were found to exhibit a statistically higher sperm concentration, total sperm count and a higher percentage of normally shaped sperm, compared to samples produced later in the day.
How often should a couple have intercourse? Surprisingly, long periods of abstinence can decrease the quality of sperm. Couples should have intercourse (sex) at least two to three times a week during the fertile period.
It's perfectly normal if some amount of semen or sperm leaks from the vagina after sex, and you should not worry about trying to "keep" it inside. No rule says you must lie in bed with your legs up after intercourse to get pregnant. It's entirely up to you!
Avoid alcohol and other substances
Eliminate alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and any illicit drugs. Too much alcohol may reduce zinc levels, and drugs decrease sperm quality. There is some research that may link smoking and certain rare heart defects, but further studies must be done to make an accurate conclusion.
Some experts do recommend staying in bed anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour after intercourse to keep the sperm pooled at the top of the vagina. A woman can put her knees up to accentuate this position, or she can place her feet on the wall with her hips on a small pillow, which works even better.
One question I'm asked all the time is whether you need to 'save up' sperm for fertility, but the idea of this is a myth as it will die after a few days. Research shows that the more fresh the sperm, the better the quality.
Vitamin C has been shown to increase sperm count, motility, and morphology. Men with low fertilization rates who took vitamin E supplements for three months showed a significant improvement in fertilization rate. Vitamin E supplementation in infertility men resulted in increased pregnancy rates.
It may seem obvious, but you need to have regular sex (2 or 3 times a week) if you want to become a dad. Having sex around the time your partner ovulates (when an egg is released from the ovary) will increase your chances of conceiving.
Other causes of low sperm numbers include long-term sickness (such as kidney failure), childhood infections (such as mumps), and chromosome or hormone problems (such as low testosterone). Damage to the reproductive system can cause low or no sperm.
4. Lay down and relax for a few minutes after sex. Standing up or going to the bathroom after sex may pull sperm away from their destination. So, lying on your back for 15 minutes or so after sex may help keep sperm moving in the right direction.
If your menstrual cycle lasts 28 days and your period arrives like clockwork, it's likely that you'll ovulate on day 14. That's halfway through your cycle. Your fertile window begins on day 10. You're more likely to get pregnant if you have sex at least every other day between days 10 and 14 of a 28-day cycle.
Sperm leakage, if there is enough of it, can be expected even hours after intercourse. Sperm can even come out the next day, in specific cases. Semen immediately enters the uterus after intercourse. But how long can sperm live inside you to get pregnant?" Sperm can be alive inside a woman's body for up to 5 days.
Age and Male Fertility
Peak male fertility is around 25-29 years old. Sperm quality begins to decline at 30. At 45, men begin to experience a significant decrease in semen volume. Older men can also take longer to conceive a child.
Even though only one sperm is needed for fertilization, most sperm cells will not survive the journey from the testicle to the uterus. Of the 200 million sperm deposited near the cervix in an average ejaculation, only 100,000 make it to the womb. For this reason, it's important to have a healthy sperm count when TTC.
Frequent male masturbation isn't likely to have much effect on your fertility. Some data shows that optimum semen quality occurs after two to three days of no ejaculation. But other research suggests that men who have normal sperm quality maintain normal sperm motility and concentrations even with daily ejaculation.
There is no specific frequency with which a man should ejaculate. There is no solid evidence that failure to ejaculate causes health problems. However, ejaculating frequently can reduce the man's risk of getting prostate cancer. Ejacu-lation can be through having sex or masturbating a few times a day.