Many people these days are speaking of an epidemic of male infertility. Statistics are often quoted to suggest that sperm counts may have fallen by as much as much as 80% over the last 50 years and that 30% of men are sub-fertile while 2% are totally infertile.
Whether these statistics are accurate or not, I’ve worked with a lot of couples who have struggled to conceive and more and more I find that the problems lie with the man’s sperm rather than with his partner.
The medical world has as yet little to offer by way of explanation for the apparent decline in male fertility and indeed many of the men I treat are reasonably fit and healthy.
Yet there are factors in our environment and in our modern lifestyle that point to very likely causes.
One important issue is the presence in our environment of chemicals which function like the female hormone Estrogen. Excessive exposure to Estrogen can interfere with the availability and effectiveness of the male hormones which control sperm production. The result can be low sperm counts and sperm with low motility or inadequate morphology.
Estrogens are present in our water, in our food, even in the air we breath. They come from solvents, plastics, agro-chemicals, from traces of the birth control pill entering the water supply from women’s urine, from veterinary drugs used to promote animal weight gain. Once in the environment they persist and accumulate. Environmental scientists have long flagged up the potential harmful effects on male reproductive capability.
The second critical factor is oxidative damage to either the testes or the sperm themselves. Sperm are very susceptible to oxidative damage from molicules known as free radicals. This is why antioxidant nutrients like vitamin C and zinc are concentrated in semen. Unforntunately modern lifestyles and diets tend to increase oxidative stress and are often deficient in key anti oxidants.
While this may appear to paint a somewhat bleak picture, my experience of treating sperm problems over more than a decade is that the majority of cases can be significantly improved in around three to six months of following an Integra herbal programme.
I usually begin the programme by correcting obvious lifestyle factors: diet, rest, exercise, stress etc.
However the key element is a combination of herbs and supplements that help the body neutralise and eliminate estrogenic toxins and oxidative stressors and rebuild healthy levels of male hormones.
Henri’s Story
Henri is a quiet spoken and cultured French doctor engaged in immunological research. After two years of unsuccessfully trying to conceive with his partner, he found he had a very low sperm count. The couple were on the waiting list for IVF.
Henri was typical of so many men I see. Healthy, reasonably fit, living a sensible lifestyle. He worked long hours and was rather tired at times, but that was all.
I suggested a few tweaks to diet and exercise patterns, but mainly focused on a tried and tested herbal formula together with two or three key supplements.
A month after starting the programme, Henri reported feeling a significant boost to his energy levels. Three months later his wife was pregnant. She carried to term and they now have a baby son.
