Infertility

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anilorak13ska said:
Male Infertility and male obesity

Can anyone share any experiences about this with me? I’ve been told for years that I’m grasping at straws by trying to find a link, yet I finally came across an article describing a study that confirms what we’ve suspected - male obesity is linked with an 80% likelihood of zero sperm production.
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Hi anilorak:

Wow, it’s quiet in here. No posts for a long time. Not much has changed in my story (my wife and I have been infertile forever)…we’re just getting older, it seems. But my wife’s sister’s kids are growing up and turning into real “spoiled brats”, which kind of makes me glad sometimes that my wife and I are infertile…if I had to live over there in their house with all that rancour and bitterness and shouting and screaming going on 24/7, I swear, I’d go crazy. Really I would. My wife’s sister is exhausted all the time, she can barely keep up with things (even when my wife goes over to visit/babysit/help out), and the husband is working overtime all the time to pay for it all and is hardly ever there (children are very expensive, it seems). Maybe he’s going crazy too, and needs to get away…or things like daycare and clothing and baby food and diapers and all that stuff really is too costly (what do I know about that, anyway?) When I heard about the cost of putting a single child in daycare (they now have three), I think my face turned alabaster with shock. Maybe these days you do need all the overtime you can get in this tough economy, I don’t know. But I do know that, for myself, anyway, maybe having children of my own isn’t all that its cracked up to be…

Hmmm…:confused:

Anyway, back to your question about Male Obesity and Infertility. You were looking for linkies, maybe these are of interest:

medicalnewstoday.com/releases/50934.php

doctor4patient.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/male-infertility-and-obesity/

The good news is that it seems to be reversible…lose the weight, and sperm counts/motility go back up: see here:

maleinfertility.org/lifestyle-whatweknow.html

The Takeaway from Dr. Schlegel: “So, although weight loss will benefit a man’s fertility (not to mention overall health!) in the long term, patients should avoid excessively aggressive attempts at weight loss.”

For what its worth, some scholarly articles are saying that male obesity really doesn’t matter very much…what matters more is the aging process. The older he is, the less motile his sperm. So says Mamdoh Eskander et al, in the 2012 Issue of “Advances in Urology”:

hindawi.com/journals/au/2012/407601/

From the article: “There was no significant correlation between BMI and any of semen and hormonal parameters. There was significant negative correlation between age and total motility. Only the advanced paternal age has shown significant association with low motility (p = 0.007). Conclusion. Our study showed a significant effect of aging on sperm motility and concentration.”

I suspect aging matters more than obesity, but I find the article too stark in its assessment. I find it hard to argue with the benefits of good exercise and nutrition, whether you are trying to achieve pregnancy or not.

Jacques
 
Thanks for the links, Jacques. I thought I had found everything there was on this topic already, but guess not 🙂 The tricky thing for us is knowing whether or not losing the weight will work, because if so, great, but if not, we don’t want to waste time putting off another attempt at adoption. I’m not sure how I feel about raising both a bio and adopted child, though I know families do it and it’s fine.

Like you, I sort of feel relieved, at least for the time being, that I can’t be blamed for my relatively comfortable life, free from the noise and mess and sleep deprivation that comes with parenting. I know because we fostered a little girl once for nearly a year, hoping to adopt her.

Anyway, thanks again.
 
anilorak13ska said:
Thanks for the links, Jacques. I thought I had found everything there was on this topic already, but guess not 🙂 The tricky thing for us is knowing whether or not losing the weight will work, because if so, great, but if not, we don’t want to waste time putting off another attempt at adoption. I’m not sure how I feel about raising both a bio and adopted child, though I know families do it and it’s fine.

Like you, I sort of feel relieved, at least for the time being, that I can’t be blamed for my relatively comfortable life, free from the noise and mess and sleep deprivation that comes with parenting. I know because we fostered a little girl once for nearly a year, hoping to adopt her.

Anyway, thanks again.
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Hi Anilorak:

I don’t know if it is of interest, but I heard on the radio today that male sperm quality can be improved by a rather unlikely source…nuts. A new research study finds that a couple of handfuls of nuts a day improves semen quality in a 12 week study, recently published in the Journal Biology of Reproduction. The news story appears all over the web; here’s a few samples:

belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/health/walnuts-boost-mens-fertility-16198481.html
cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57494602-10391704/eating-walnuts-daily-may-improve-sperm-quality/
msnbc.msn.com/id/48693537/ns/health-mens_health/#.UC9AJ6B1E_o

MedPage and WebMD give more details on this rather curious finding:

medpagetoday.com/Urology/Urology/34239
webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/news/20120815/walnuts-may-improve-sperm-quality-healthy-men

Here’s the abstract of the original paper:

biolreprod.org/content/early/2012/08/07/biolreprod.112.101634.abstract

A few comments…well, it’s a pretty small study (117 men over 12 weeks). And its rather risible that the research was “partially funded” by the California Walnut Commission. Maybe have the Oil Companies fund the studies of whether we should drill for oil in Alaska? Or the Environmentalists fund research into whether we should build windmills/solar farms on our coastlines? All research should be evaluated on its own merits, that’s true, but the optics look terrible. One wonders if the study would ever have seen the light of day if there was a negative rather than a positive correlation. And it looks like the men involved in the study were already healthy (not subfertile).

That being said, it’s worth a follow-up. Maybe add it to your husband’s diet, if he like them/is not allergic. I mean, it certainly can’t do any harm, and what have you got to lose, anyway?

Jacques
 
taryn237 said:
There is a great new book about Being Catholic and Facing Infertility. We struggled with this 7 years ago and I wish this book had been around then. store.pauline.org/English/Books/tabid/126/txtSearch/infertility/List/0/ProductID/3872/Default.aspx?SortField=ProductName%2CProductName&fb_source=message
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Hi Taryn:

Thanks very much for this link; I will certainly look into this book. I note the author is a Catholic lay minister; also that she now has three kids of her own (as do you, it seems). My wife and I will never have children, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles, I suppose; you just look on the bright side of infertility instead (peace, quiet and sanity in the home; much more leisure and free time with your spouse; financial independence and the ability to take extended trips, travel, take time off work, etc) and manage as best you can. Since you have read the book already, I am curious about one thing: this is another Catholic book about infertility written by another woman for a (largely) female audience. Any chance there’s a chapter in there for the husband (or is that expecting too much LOL)? I’ll still get the book even if there isn’t. I’m just wondering. Thanks again!

Jacques
 
JacquesMaritain said:
Hi Taryn:

I am curious about one thing: this is another Catholic book about infertility written by another woman for a (largely) female audience. Any chance there’s a chapter in there for the husband (or is that expecting too much LOL)?

Jacques
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This is so true! There hasn’t been as much advancement in diagnostics and treatment of male infertility precisely because it is still commonly considered “a woman’s issue”, which does nothing to help those who are actually struggling/living with IF.
 
JacquesMaritain said:
Hi Anilorak:

I don’t know if it is of interest, but I heard on the radio today that male sperm quality can be improved by a rather unlikely source…nuts. A new research study finds that a couple of handfuls of nuts a day improves semen quality in a 12 week study, recently published in the Journal Biology of Reproduction. The news story appears all over the web; here’s a few samples:

belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/health/walnuts-boost-mens-fertility-16198481.html
cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57494602-10391704/eating-walnuts-daily-may-improve-sperm-quality/
msnbc.msn.com/id/48693537/ns/health-mens_health/#.UC9AJ6B1E_o

MedPage and WebMD give more details on this rather curious finding:

medpagetoday.com/Urology/Urology/34239
webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/news/20120815/walnuts-may-improve-sperm-quality-healthy-men

Here’s the abstract of the original paper:

biolreprod.org/content/early/2012/08/07/biolreprod.112.101634.abstract

A few comments…well, it’s a pretty small study (117 men over 12 weeks). And its rather risible that the research was “partially funded” by the California Walnut Commission. Maybe have the Oil Companies fund the studies of whether we should drill for oil in Alaska? Or the Environmentalists fund research into whether we should build windmills/solar farms on our coastlines? All research should be evaluated on its own merits, that’s true, but the optics look terrible. One wonders if the study would ever have seen the light of day if there was a negative rather than a positive correlation. And it looks like the men involved in the study were already healthy (not subfertile).

That being said, it’s worth a follow-up. Maybe add it to your husband’s diet, if he like them/is not allergic. I mean, it certainly can’t do any harm, and what have you got to lose, anyway?

Jacques
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Thanks again, Jacques. Though it seems that walnuts are all about QUALITY, not COUNT. Our particular problem is sperm production, in that there is none of that going on 😊 Having said that, we are working on an amateur study of our own based on research we found linking obesity with even zero sperm production, so we are trying to test if losing the weight (130lbs in our case) may be what’s needed to restart sperm production. Our male factor specialist seems to think there’s a possibility, since the thyroid is involved with hormone levels, which in turn affect production. Interestingly enough, this was not the tune she was playing when we met with her for a consult. All IF docs (other than NaPro) seem to be interested in bypassing the problem and just getting to the end result at all costs. On the other hand, NaPro specialists I’ve contacted have no idea what to tell us since in order to use NaPro, we have to have both of the gametes needed :rolleyes:

So we are doing our own study since no one else seems to be trying it. All of DH’s tests have come back normal, so there is no identifiable reason he should have azoospermia. The only thing we can think of is the link with obesity.

Ok, but now I’ve gone on and on. Once we start producing sperm (we have faith), we’ll be sure to maximize our potential with all the other advice and suggestions I’ll have read about over the years, so I’m staying tuned.
 
Hi all,

Just wanted to send a quick update. I started my period today and will start the Creighton Method tomorrow. I’m feeling anxious about the whole thing because this is it, if this doesn’t work then I guess we’re just not going to have kids. I am trying my best to relax but I was so stressed about it last month that I skipped a period and had to wait until this month to start charting! :hypno:

Anyway, I just wanted to pop in and say hello!
 
catholicanne said:
Hi all,

Just wanted to send a quick update. I started my period today and will start the Creighton Method tomorrow. I’m feeling anxious about the whole thing because this is it, if this doesn’t work then I guess we’re just not going to have kids. I am trying my best to relax but I was so stressed about it last month that I skipped a period and had to wait until this month to start charting! :hypno:

Anyway, I just wanted to pop in and say hello!
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Hi Anne:

Good luck I hope this time it works. Try not to stress, I know that’s easy to say but hard to do; I will pray for you, hopefully you’ll meet with success.

Jacques
 
anilorak13ska said:
Thanks again, Jacques. Though it seems that walnuts are all about QUALITY, not COUNT. Our particular problem is sperm production, in that there is none of that going on 😊 Having said that, we are working on an amateur study of our own based on research we found linking obesity with even zero sperm production, so we are trying to test if losing the weight (130lbs in our case) may be what’s needed to restart sperm production. Our male factor specialist seems to think there’s a possibility, since the thyroid is involved with hormone levels, which in turn affect production. Interestingly enough, this was not the tune she was playing when we met with her for a consult. All IF docs (other than NaPro) seem to be interested in bypassing the problem and just getting to the end result at all costs. On the other hand, NaPro specialists I’ve contacted have no idea what to tell us since in order to use NaPro, we have to have both of the gametes needed :rolleyes:

So we are doing our own study since no one else seems to be trying it. All of DH’s tests have come back normal, so there is no identifiable reason he should have azoospermia. The only thing we can think of is the link with obesity.

Ok, but now I’ve gone on and on. Once we start producing sperm (we have faith), we’ll be sure to maximize our potential with all the other advice and suggestions I’ll have read about over the years, so I’m staying tuned.
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Hi anilorak:

Given that the doctors/medical science aren’t really doing all that much for you right now, I think that doing your own “amateur studies” is a perfectly legitimate option. Doctors tend to “medicalize” everything…if you’re sick, we must have a pill/drug for that, so forget about everything else, full speed ahead! They rarely consider other options, because, let’s face it, losing weight takes forever…you’d have to treat the patient for months/years, and who has time for that? Give them a prescription, then move to the next patient. Since losing weight has so many health benefits even over and above the (debated) improvement in fertility, I can’t see any downside here. Presumably you are already getting proper nutrition, exercise, and already know how to maximize any intercourse to fall within your “fertility window”; you aren’t using harmful drugs or medications; and I see that you have been doing research on other forums like Fertility Community about this same topic, so yeah, I think you’ve done all (reasonably) that you could. Good luck!

Jacques
 
Having a hard day today. Maybe I’m just emotional because I started my period. I’m 34 years old, will be 35 in June and I am obese. I feel like my weight has had a lot to do with my infertility and I feel like I am running out of time, or that I have already run out of time, and that it’s too late for me to try to get pregnant and have a baby. St. Anne is my personal saint and I know that she was older when she had Mary so I have been praying for her to pray for me. I feel angry at myself because I didn’t lose this weight years ago and now I feel like I’ve come to the end of my fertile life and I might not have children. The thought of being childless the rest of my life upsets me so badly but that might be what happens.

Sorry to post this on here but I don’t want to tell my husband any of this because we’re supposed to be trying the Creighton Method and I’m supposed to be the cheerleader. I just feel deflated and I suppose I just need some encouragement. Thank you and God bless each and every one of you.
 
Jacques, thanks for the support 🙂

CatholiAnne, praying for your success. In our case, it’s the hubster who needs to loose weight, and there isn’t nearly as much research on the link between male obesity and fertility as there is on female obesity and fertility. In a way, we’re sort of shooting in the dark, but it’s all we’ve got right now. But anyway, Try not to beat yourself up. You are not necessarily “too old” to have children. Until you hit menapause, there’s always a chance! My mom had my younger siblings at 33 and 34, and she recalls being judged by her OB about getting pregnant “so late”. Ptooey! I often wonder if maybe God intends for us to become parents “later in life” on purpose, because we’re still so young at heart 😃 Best of luck to you this cycle!
 
anilorak13ska said:
Jacques, thanks for the support 🙂

CatholiAnne, praying for your success. In our case, it’s the hubster who needs to loose weight, and there isn’t nearly as much research on the link between male obesity and fertility as there is on female obesity and fertility. In a way, we’re sort of shooting in the dark, but it’s all we’ve got right now. But anyway, Try not to beat yourself up. You are not necessarily “too old” to have children. Until you hit menapause, there’s always a chance! My mom had my younger siblings at 33 and 34, and she recalls being judged by her OB about getting pregnant “so late”. Ptooey! I often wonder if maybe God intends for us to become parents “later in life” on purpose, because we’re still so young at heart 😃 Best of luck to you this cycle!
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Thank you! :hug3:

My sister reminded me that not only did St Anne give birth later in life but also Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin gave birth later too. She also reminded me that my own grandmother gave birth to my father at age 36 and my mother-in-law gave birth to my sister-in-law at age 39. I have to put my faith in God and just trust.

Has your husband been tested? I know when my husband went in to be tested years ago they told him he was lucky he was thin because weight affects fertility in men as well. The downside is that my husband smokes and I have always wondered if that is hurting us as well.
 
catholicanne said:
My sister reminded me that not only did St Anne give birth later in life but also Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin gave birth later too. She also reminded me that my own grandmother gave birth to my father at age 36 and my mother-in-law gave birth to my sister-in-law at age 39. I have to put my faith in God and just trust.

Has your husband been tested? I know when my husband went in to be tested years ago they told him he was lucky he was thin because weight affects fertility in men as well. The downside is that my husband smokes and I have always wondered if that is hurting us as well.
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Hi Catholicanne:

I’m sorry you are feeling blue (yeah, it might well be the hormones) but good luck this cycle! In reply to your wondering…**.Yes, Yes, Yes! ** Cigarette smoking is definitely one of the contributing factors for male infertility. Besides the obvious fact that his overall health will be better if he stops smoking, you too will improve your chances, as you will no longer be exposed to second-hand smoke. So its a win-win all around. See here:

acsh.org/healthissues/newsID.646/healthissue_detail.asp

From the link: “Effects of Smoking on Fertility in Men”

"While research on the reproductive effects of smoking has focused on women, evidence has increasingly suggested that cigarette smoking adversely affects the male reproductive system as well. Cigarette smoking damages sperm, affects hormone concentrations in men, and reduces blood flow to the penis. This reduction in blood flow can result in erectile dysfunction, or impotence. Recent experimental findings have also linked cigarette smoking in men with low sex drive and low sexual satisfaction.

Several chemicals found in the semen of cigarette smokers are components of cigarette smoke or are metabolic by-products of such components. Some of these chemicals—nicotine, for instance—are found at higher concentrations in semen than in blood. This suggests that some components of cigarette smoke tend to build up in the semen of cigarette smokers.

Nonsmoking couples described their sexual satisfaction more approvingly than did those couples in which the male smoked. The ejaculate of cigarette smokers is less than that of their nonsmoking counter-parts. This difference is more pronounced with heavy smokers. Scientists hypothesize that the effects of nicotine on the nervous system, or possibly the low testosterone concentrations that characterize cigarette smokers, account for the low volume of ejaculate. Although low ejaculate volume does not alone impede reproduction, it may be a sign of other reproductive irregularities.

Smokers’ sperm density (the concentration of spermatozoa in semen) has been estimated at 22-57 percent less than that of nonsmokers. Such decreases in sperm density can cause infertility in men.

Sperm motility—the ability of spermatozoa to propel themselves through the female reproductive tract—is critical to conception. Smokers’ sperm cells, on average, are 20 percent less motile than nonsmokers’ sperm cells.

Some evidence suggests that men who smoke cigarettes are likelier to generate sperm of abnormal shape than are men who do not smoke. Sperm malformation may contribute to the occurrence of spontaneous abortion and birth defects.

Cigarette smoking raises the concentration in semen of white blood cells—whose function is to counteract infection—without infection. This increase tends to diminish the ability of the smoker’s sperm to enter and unite with the ovum.

Research findings suggest that cigarette smoking may result in damage to the seminiferous tubules. These tubules, which make up the bulk of the testes, are the sites of sperm production. Damage to them can cause diminishment of the production and quality of sperm."

Jacques
 
catholicanne said:
Has your husband been tested? I know when my husband went in to be tested years ago they told him he was lucky he was thin because weight affects fertility in men as well.
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That’s interesting. It didn’t occur to any of the specialists we saw to point out that maybe DH should try to loose weight. :rolleyes: Yes, he’s been tested, genetic testing, biopsy, and everything. The official dx is Sertoli Cell Only Syndrome, but with no identifiable cause. Usually, this is caused by a microdeletion or shows up on the karyotype, or the hormones are out of wack, but all of his tests have come back normal. So they call it idiopathic.

But I do wonder about the hormones. I believe that if it really is the excess weight causing the problem, then from what I understand, his estrogen:testosterone ratio should be out of wack, but other than his testosterone being on the low end of the normal spectrum, they say his hormones are fine. So not sure about that.

Although it could theoretically be the simple excess heat in the region (ehem :p) preventing production. His weight loss regiment has been slow in coming. He goes to the gym and meets with a personal trainer 3-5 times a week, for nearly 3 months now. His weight and body fat have actually gone up since he started working out. We’re now trying to focus on changing our eating habits. I buy mostly healthy foods, but I’m realizing that we do consume a lot of carbs, and our portions are out of wack. So we’re trying to address that right now, hoping it will finally be what makes a solid difference. He’s got a contract with the personal trainer until June, at which time we hoped he’d lose enough weight for us to retest him for spermies.

If we find a single sperm, we are going to be so on top of NaproTech! I don’t understand couples who would bypass even trying this method, if they have the goodies to work with. I hope we get a chance to use this method. But if in 2 years time he’s lost the weight and still no improvement, we’ll make our peace with it at that point.

We already dismissed the idea of a bio child soon after getting our diagnosis over 4 years ago, bc I had assumed (based on what the doc told us) that we would have to use IVF, and I wanted no part of that. So we went straight to adoption, but in 4 years time, we got hurt over and over again 😦 So we’re taking a break from that and seeing if we can’t outsmart the “experts” - stranger things have happened :cool:

Sorry I went on and on like that. Catholicanne, keep us posted.
 
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