Declining male fertility: are antioxidant treatments effective?
Changes in male semen as a cause of infertility have always existed. However, in recent years we have noticed a deterioration in semen quality, even in very young men, which undoubtedly reduces fertility and makes it more difficult to have children both naturally and through assisted reproduction (in vitro fertilisation, artificial insemination, etc.).
Everything seems to point to the causes of this deterioration, both in the quality and quantity of sperm, being related to lifestyle and the environment. Stress, pollution in large cities, a sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, electromagnetic waves from mobile phones… all form a dangerous cocktail for male fertility.
Some facts about male fertility
At the Gutenberg Reproduction Unit, we have studied more than 250 male candidates for sperm donation. All of them were under 30 years of age and apparently healthy. The results are clear: 50% of the candidates had at least one abnormal parameter (mainly number or motility) and 18% had several parameters below normal. This percentage is high and approximately 10% higher than it was a decade ago.
On the other hand, a French study published in the prestigious scientific journal Human Reproduction also reports a serious and general deterioration in sperm concentration and morphology, and shows that the number of sperm produced by a 35-year-old man has fallen by 32.2% in 16 years.
Antioxidants: an option for treating male fertility?
In assisted reproduction treatments, it is no longer enough to obtain sperm; it must also be of good quality.
We know that sperm is a cell that suffers degenerative or oxidative damage like any other. This oxidative damage can be calculated by studying the degree of DNA fragmentation in sperm, which may explain the poorer results in assisted reproduction treatments.
One solution for improving sperm quality is the use of antioxidant treatments in men, i.e. products containing vitamins B, C and E, zinc, magnesium, omega 3, etc. There is encouraging news regarding the improvement in results with these treatments, which are natural compounds with almost no side effects. However, more conclusive evidence is still needed to confirm that these products are 100% effective.
On the other hand, a healthy lifestyle, an improvement in quality of life, regular physical exercise, giving up smoking and alcoholic beverages… are undoubtedly factors that benefit male fertility.