OK guys, in regard to low sperm count...

I just received news that my sperm count is low. Could this be the result of my PE practices? I am the picture of health otherwise, which I know doesn’t exactly mean I’m healthy in that respect. But I would’ve thought I would be good to go. I’m in my mid-30’s and my test read that I have a count of 90 million, and it should be around 200 million. Any insight would be greatly appreciated, as I’ve done some searches, but haven’t yet found a whole heck of a lot. Thank you.

If you are at 90 million/ml, you are far above the minimum fertility experts like to see, which is 20 million/ml.

Who is telling you your count is low?

No, PE won’t affect sperm count, unless you are applying a lot of heat to your testicles.

It was actually my wife’s OBGYN who said it, not a urologist. I was wondering, because what I was reading was that average was anywhere between 50 million and 150 million.

Also, I wanted to add that I use a ball stretcher when I jelq and pump. I think it’s 1.5 inches. Would that have any adverse effects? Again, I really appreciate any information on this!

Really the only PE that might effect it is direct heat on balls. Ball pumping might, but I suspect for the better. If you are doing hot tubs or hot baths, that also can decrease it.

Here is a good article addressing some important nutrients,(note it address both men and women):

http://74.125.1 55.132/search?q … n&ct=clnk&gl=us

Supplements

There is now a great deal of scientific knowledge about the use of nutritional supplements and their beneficial effects on both male and female fertility. As you will see, these supplements can be very effective in re-balancing your hormones, as well as improving you and your partner’s overall health, which are so vital for successful conception.

Supplements are necessary because even the best diet in the world will not contain all the nutrients you need to give you the best chance of conceiving.

Folic Acid

It is now known that folic acid can prevent spina bifida in your baby, and it is essential that you get plenty both before and during pregnancy. And that’s not all: folic acid is undoubtedly important, but it is just part of the very important B-complex family of vitamins that are necessary to produce the genetic materials DNA and RNA. Together with vitamin B12, folic acid works to ensure that your baby’s genetic codes are intact. Remember: it’s not enough to take folic acid alone when you are trying to become pregnant. All of the B vitamins are essential during the pre-conceptual period. Research has shown that giving B6 to women who have trouble conceiving increases fertility and vitamin B12 has been found to improve low sperm counts

Zinc

Zinc is the most widely studied nutrient in terms of fertility for both men and women. It is an essential component of genetic material and a zinc deficiency can cause chromosome changes in either you or our partner, leading to reduced fertility and an increased risk of miscarriage. Zinc is necessary for your body to ‘attract and hold’ (utilise efficiently) the reproductive hormones, oestrogen and progesterone.

And it’s equally important for your partner: zinc is found in high concentrations in the sperm. Zinc is needed to make the outer layer and tail of the sperm and is, therefore, essential for the health of your partner’s sperm and, subsequently, your baby. Interestingly, several studies have also shown that reducing zinc in a man’s diet will also reduce his sperm count.

Selenium

Selenium is an antioxidant that helps to protect your body from highly reactive chemical fragments called free radicals. For this reason, selenium can prevent chromosome breakage, which is known to be a cause of birth defects and miscarriages. Good levels of selenium are also essential to maximize sperm formation. Blood selenium levels have been found to be lower in men with low sperm counts.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)

These essential fats have a profound effect on every system of the body, including the reproductive system and they are crucial for healthy hormone functioning. For men essential fatty acid supplementation is crucial because the semen is rich in prostaglandins which are produced from these fats. Men with poor sperm quality, abnormal sperm, poor motility or low count, have inadequate levels of these beneficial prostaglandins.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is another powerful antioxidant and has been shown to increase fertility when given to both men and women. Men going for IVF treatment with their partners have been given vitamin E, and fertilization rates have, as a result, increased from 19 to 29 percent. It has been suggested that the antioxidant activity of vitamin E might make the sperm more fertile.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is also an antioxidant, and studies show that vitamin C enhances sperm quality, protecting sperm and the DNA within it from damage. Some research has indicated that certain types of DNA damage in the sperm can make it difficult to conceive in the first place, or it can cause an increased risk of miscarriage if conception does take place. If DNA is damaged, there may be a chromosomal problem in the baby, should the pregnancy proceed. Whether or not DNA damage does have these effects has not been conclusively proven, but it’s worth taking vitamin C and the other antioxidants as a precautionary measure.

Vitamin C also appears to keep the sperm from clumping together, making them more motile.

One study has shown that women taking the drug clomiphene to stimulate ovulation will have a better chance of ovulating if vitamin C is taken alongside the drug. Clomiphene does not always work in every woman, but the chances are often increased when vitamin C is supplemented.

L-Arginine

This is an amino acid found in many foods and the head of the sperm contains an exceptional amount of this nutrient, which is essential for sperm production. Supplementing with L-arginine can help to increase both the sperm count and quality.

Note: People who have herpes attacks (either cold sores or genital herpes) should not supplement with arginine because it stimulates the virus.

L-Carnitine

This amino acid is essential for normal functioning of sperm cells. According to research, it appears that the higher the levels of L-Carnitine in the sperm cells, the better the sperm count and motility.

Vitamin A

This vitamin needs to be mentioned because there is a lot of confusion about its use before and after pregnancy. Many health practitioners now advise that no vitamin A is taken during pregnancy. This advice is incorrect, and it can be dangerous to assume that any vitamin or other nutrient should be avoided during the gestational period. Vitamin A has important antioxidant properties, and the consequences of Vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy can be devastating. For one thing, vitamin A is essential for healthy eyes. Animals studies show that vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy has produced new-born animals with no eyes, eye defects, undescended testes and diaphragmatic hernias.

It is only when the vitamin A is in the form of retinol (in other words, the animal form of vitamin A) that there is a problem. It has been found that retinol can cause birth defects if taken in excess of 10,000iu a day. Beta-carotene, which is one of the vegetable forms of vitamin A, does not carry any risks.
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It would probably help you, and maybe ease your mind, to ask for a copy of the semen analysis. Save it. It’ll provide you with a good base of information in the future for comparison. There may have been a factor in there (motility percentages, morphology, etc.) that got mistranslated to you leading you to believe your actual count was low.

And thanks to sparkyx for the run-down on supplements that can affect fertility. :)

Yes, thanks to everyone for the information. It is greatly appreciated. I’m afraid the doctor may end up sending me to a urologist, and so now I’m concerned that he/she will be able to detect that I practice PE. My shaft is a bit dark compared to the rest of my body. Is there any chance the urologist will take a look and be able to say to him/herself “This guy jelqs/pumps/hangs”? I’m a stealth PE’er, so my wife can’t find out. Should I take a few days off leading to the appointment? I’m just concerned, as I’ve never been to a urologist before.

Again, thanks so much for any and all information and personal accounts!!!

Absolutely. Detecting PEers is one of the things that urologist are trained in. Taking a few days off will serve you not at all; they can still tell.

Expect the doc to take but one quick glance at your unit and suddenly look at you as if you were a serial pedophile. “Excuse me Mr. beancounter, I will be right back”. As the doc heads out to the receptionists desk to call your wife.

According to everything I have found, your sperm count is totally normal and nothing to worry about. The only thing wrong with you is your doctor who believes in sending you to more doctors who will be glad to take your money for nothing.

Here is just one report. You can Google for more and find out your doctor is feeding you a line of bullshit.

http://en.wikip … /Semen_analysis

Sperm count, or sperm concentration to avoid mixup, measures the concentration of sperm in a man’s ejaculate, distinguished from total sperm count, which is the sperm count multiplied with volume.[7] Anything over 20 million sperm per milliliter is considered normal.[1][2] Anything less is considered oligospermia. A vasectomy is considered successful if the sample is azoospermic. Some define success with rare non-motile sperm are observed (fewer than 100,000 per millilitre).[8] Others advocate obtaining a second semen analysis to verify the counts are not increasing (as can happen with re-canalization) and others still may perform a repeat vasectomy for this situation.

The average sperm count today is around 60 million per milliliter in the Western world, having decreased by 1-2% per year from a substantially higher number decades ago.[9]

Bean, in case you didn’t catch it, Iamaru is joking.

What sparkyx said. No urologist will be able to tell that you do PE.

Actually, a urologist exam could be a good thing for you, even with a normal (even high) sperm count. Sounds like you are relatively young. The information you can get will be useful to you later in life.

Urologists tend to be pretty matter-of-fact guys. They look at cocks, testicles, and anuses all day, after all. Yours will probably do a DRE (digital rectal exam) to check your prostate. If he doesn’t suggest one, ask for a PSA blood test, also. Younger guys should have this done just to have a “base” read on their Prostate Specific Antigen level. Yours will probably be low; but that number will be helpful to you a decade from now for comparison to where you are at that time, PSA-wise. Your health insurance will likely pick up most of the tab for the doctor visit/tests.

If you’ve already had a semen analysis and know that you are at 90 million/ml, no need to do that part again.

If you haven’t had one, a good idea to do it because it sounds like you two are trying for a baby and the information gprent offers above will be good to know. When I had one done, I was taken to a private, very boring room and handed a ridiculously small, sterile cup. After a bit of exploration, I found a monitor and DVD player and a meager pile of sex magazines. Two magazines were of lesbians doing each other (absolutely no turn-on to me but apparently a lot of guys like this) and one of some very, very unattractive couples coupling. I did find one mag with a handsome couple going at it and that helped. Never bothered with the DVDs so I don’t know what was going on there.

I was told two things: I wasn’t to ejaculate for three days before and that the first semen shot often contains more sperm than subsequent ones. Of course, I wanted that first shot to be in the cup. But no. Your cock is moving and the silly, little cup is moving in the other hand and my first shot went over the cup rim onto the floor. I caught what I could, cleaned up the floor, and got the hell out of Dodge. Your experience will be more rewarding, I hope. :)