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How to Optimize Sperm and Fertility Health to Prepare for IVF

If you and your partner have been trying to conceive without success for a while now, you’re not alone. The National Institutes of Health find that up to 15% of couples experience infertility after one year of trying to conceive. Infertility can be difficult, but seeking medical treatment for fertility is a hopeful step, one that is successful for most couples!

Whether your diagnosis is female-factor infertility, male-factor infertility, unexplained infertility, or a combination of factors contributed by both partners, strengthening your sperm health will help support your preconception and overall health.

Sperm Quality

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Health and Human Development estimates that only one in four men have optimal semen quality. The prevalence of less-than-optimal sperm is a good reason for all men to consider fertility health as a critical part of the pregnancy equation. 

There are many factors that can negatively impact sperm quality, and not all of them are in our control. However, recent studies have shown that  improvement in sperm quality without medication is possible through key lifestyle and nutritional interventions. 

You may have several emotions as you prepare for, start, and complete an IVF cycle. Anxiety, sadness, optimism, and uncertainty are common. After all, IVF can take time, be physically demanding — and cost quite a bit — all for a chance at getting pregnant. It makes sense then, that the months leading up to your IVF cycle are very important for ensuring your body is healthy, strong, and fully prepared for this fairly intense medical process.

Read on for three science-backed strategies that can help to optimize sperm health (and, of course, work with your fertility doctor before making any big changes to your health and wellness routine). 

Here’s to your successful fertility treatment—and your future family!

When To Begin Optimizing Your Sperm Health

In short—start today! New sperm are born every day, and they have the best chance of maturing into healthy and effective cells inside a healthy parent environment. 

While some lifestyle interventions can take time to show results, the simple choices make each day can help you move closer to your goals of fatherhood and family. The evidence-based strategies described below, together with the fertility treatments your doctor recommends, can have powerfully positive results for your fertility. 

Whole-Foods Diet for a Healthy Weight 

Most of us already know that our habits of diet and weight are important factors of overall health. Now, new findings are causing doctors to counsel future fathers to manage weight with diet and exercise for the sake of the health of their offspring, too. 

Dietary interventions can vastly improve sperm quality measures for even the healthiest men. In one study, young healthy men who switched to a DASH diet, which includes whole grains, plenty of vegetables and fruits, quality meats and dairy, achieved significantly increased sperm counts and higher percentages of total motile sperm.

Men who are currently overweight or obese can benefit even more from switching to a high-quality, whole-foods diet. During the last several decades, a steady rise in average male body weight has coincided with a decline in overall male fertility. Researchers don’t think this is a coincidence: it’s likely that being overweight or obese contributes to male infertility. Being overweight affects male fertility by changing the endocrine system which regulates hormone production and sperm production. And male obesity is linked with an increase in systemic inflammation, causing an increase in reactive oxygen species that can fragment sperm DNA. The great news is that poor male fertility can be reversed by overweight and obese men who abandon the standard Western diet and adopt a whole-foods, plant-heavy diet such as the Mediterranean diet.

In study after study, men who enjoy higher-quality diets also have better semen quality. Making lifestyle changes is easier with a firm “why” in mind, and during fertility treatment, there’s no “why” more important than healing fertility health in order to welcome a little one.

Evidence-Based Vitamins for Sperm Support

For future fathers, nutritional deficiencies can put sperm health in jeopardy, increasing the risk of low sperm count, abnormal sperm morphology, low sperm motility, and even DNA damage. These markers of poor sperm health can lower your odds of successful conception during fertility treatments such as IUI and IVF. And even for couples who do conceive, poor sperm health can increase the likelihood of miscarriage and birth defects. 

The bright side is that nutrition is in your control, and science has your back!

Numerous studies have shown that when men who are struggling to conceive supplement with a combination of high-quality antioxidants, their sperm quality parameters improve, resulting in a successful pregnancy rate of up to 41% above couples in which the man does not supplement. 

Beli for Men is an innovative prenatal and preconception vitamin formulated with a laser-focus on fertility. Beli contains evidence-based levels of nutrients that can help raise sperm counts, improve sperm quality, and protect maturing sperm against DNA damage.

It’s common for fertility doctors to recommend a host of vitamins for sperm support, but it’s difficult to keep track of 10+ supplement bottles! Beli for Men keeps it simple with a single multivitamin. 

Two capsules of Beli for Men each day contain the nutrients needed to help:

  • Increase sperm count with vitamin B-12, CoQ10, l-taurine, and zinc
  • Protect sperm while they grow with selenium, zinc, CoQ10, l-carnitine, and active methylated folate
  • Improve sperm morphology with active methylated folate, vitamins B-6 C, D, E, l-arginine, and zinc
  • Increase sperm motility with vitamins C, D, CoQ10, n-acetyl-l-cysteine, and zinc

Beli for Men is also the only male prenatal to include shilajit, an all-natural, antioxidant-rich medicinal substance created by the slow decomposition of plants in mountain ranges such as the Himalayas and the Chilean Andes. Ayurvedic practitioners have long used shilajit to promote energy and stamina, mental clarity, and male virility and fertility. Western science confirms the effectiveness of shilajit for fertility support, too: Male infertility patients showed significant improvement in total sperm count and motility, along with an increase in serum testosterone, after taking shilajit for 90 days. 

Male fertility is a cycle of continuous regeneration. New sperm are created every day, and each new cell goes through a journey of around three months to prepare for conception. Nourishing your fertility health with the evidence-based nutrients your body needs can make a measurable difference in markers for sperm health like improving your sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm morphology, and healing DNA fragmentation within the sperm. 

Start taking Beli for Men each day three months before starting fertility treatment, and rest assured that you’re providing your body with the micronutrients needed to fuel stronger sperm.

Ease Toxic Stress 

Chronic stress impacts almost everyone at some point, and its harmful effects hit men the hardest. For men, too much stress can cause high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Toxic stress also wreaks havoc on hormones, leading to reduced sperm quality and even infertility. When men experience stress over the long term, chronically elevated cortisol levels have a strong negative impact on testosterone levels. Studies show that spermatogenesis, the ability of the testes to create new sperm, is severely inhibited when testosterone secretion varies too much or dips too low. 

For your fertility’s sake, it’s time to take action to help you de-stress. Psychological stressors lurk everywhere, and fertility treatment is a particularly stressful time for many couples. The first step is to spot where stress shows up in your life. Take note of the situations where you’re extra irritable, or you notice your stress manifesting physically as a clenched jaw, elevated pulse, or upset digestion. Once you spot the stressor, you can find healthy outlets to help you cope.

The strategies you choose to help you manage stress can be simple, like taking a walk or jog when you feel stress coming on, or calling a trusted friend. Complementary alternative therapies such as yoga, acupuncture, and mindfulness meditation have all been correlated with improved stress management, better sperm quality, and more favorable pregnancy outcomes for men going through fertility treatment. 

Every day that you move more, eat nutrient-rich whole foods, take your prenatal, and pause to ease your stress is a day that helps prepare your body to pass on a strong legacy. You’re going to be a great dad!

Additional Resources

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Read More

Fall is not just a time for pumpkin spice lattes and cooler weather; it’s also an opportunity to optimize fertility, particularly for men. Cooler temperatures naturally benefit sperm health, while Beli for Men provides the essential nutrients needed to take those benefits even further. 

Read More

Miscarriage is a complex issue, and while sperm health is just one factor, it's a crucial one. By understanding the statistics and research surrounding miscarriage and sperm health, couples can take proactive steps to improve fertility outcomes. Beli Vitality for Men offers a comprehensive fertility supplement solution, supported by industry research and designed to improve sperm health. By combining Beli Vitality with healthy lifestyle choices, couples can optimize their fertility journey and increase their chances of a successful pregnancy.

Read More

While it’s true that popular hair loss meds work minor miracles on that receding hairline and back-of-the-head bald patch, it’s also true that it can come with side effects—some of them sexual. So, what does that mean in terms of male fertility? Here’s what couples should understand about the effects of popular hair-loss medications on sperm health.

Read More

The summer heat really can have a temporary effect on male fertility, so doing what you can to keep cool, especially if the goal is becoming a dad, is really important. Here are tips to keep you and the boys cool this summer.

Read More

If you’re no stranger to the telltale signs of seasonal allergies—sneezing, itching, nasal congestion, irritated eyes, the works—you’re likely familiar with antihistamines. When you’re actively trying to conceive, there’s more to understand about histamines, seasonal allergies and how it affects your fertility.

Read More

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Read More

Fact: You can’t look at a guy—or eyeball his semen sample, for that matter—and determine his fertility. It just doesn’t work that way. The only way to truly assess sperm health is with a semen analysis. But there are a few lifestyle choices and truths that may indicate whether a man’s sperm is healthy and happy. 

Read More

While it’s lumped into the “bodily fluid” category, semen is a complex cocktail of compounds designed to support fertility. Like sperm quality, semen health can be influenced by lifestyle factors—an important realization for couples trying to conceive. From color to consistency, here’s what healthy semen looks like.

Read More

There’s a lot of chatter when it comes to male masturbation and what it says about a man’s fertility or whether it’s an issue when a couple is actively trying to conceive. And in the interest of clearing up the confusion, we’re taking a facts-based approach to the topic of men, masturbation and fertility.

Read More

For many of us, our twenties and even thirties are a time when the focus is on pregnancy prevention. And that’s okay! But even when the idea of motherhood is miles away there is tremendous value in understanding your fertility health and what you can do to support it during these young, carefree days.

Read More

Raise your hand if you already know that you have a biological clock. From age 35 and beyond, there is a natural decline in testosterone and sperm quality. Just as people lose muscle strength, flexibility and endurance with age, sperm also tend to lose their "fitness" over the life cycle. But what does that mean—and does it really matter?

Read More

It’s an easy assumption, but you’re much better off thinking that every prenatal vitamin is wildly different in terms of composition, nutrient quality and, importantly, nutrient amount. Not only is that actually true, it puts you in the smart consumer mindset of understanding what matters in a prenatal vitamin—and why.

Read More

Men really do benefit from specialized nutrition in the form of a prenatal vitamin that’s formulated to support sperm health. Here’s what that looks like, and how specific nutrients can impact a man’s fertility health before fatherhood.

Read More

Shilajit is finally getting the credit it’s due, and we’re proud to point out that our proprietary formula was the very first to include this powerful Ayurvedic compound. Here’s why shilajit is rapidly becoming the darling of the male fertility world–and what you’re missing if you’re skipping it.

Read More

Ever wondered why men produce so much darn sperm, especially if only one of them will ultimately fertilize the egg? There are millions of sperm in normal ejaculate because it increases the likelihood that one will reach the egg and seal the deal. It begs the question, what exactly happens on the journey to the egg?

Read More
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