Since multiple studies have now found that supplements do not help
improve sperm quality, is there anything that will? If you are
overweight, then a new study suggests that weight loss could help. Stay tuned
How do you determine if you are overweight? Fertility doctors don’t look at weight by itself,
we look at weight in relation to height. This is called BMI or body
mass index. Why? Taller people are going to weigh more because they are taller and
aren't necessarily overweight. If you aren’t sure what your BMI is,
and you know your height and weight, put me on pause and go to this website to calculate it.
Based on your BMI, we separate people into categories. These numbers might
be a little different based on your ethnic background. If your BMI is less than 18.5,
you are considered underweight. A BMI between 18.5 to <25, is considered normal. If your BMI is
25.0 to <30, it falls within the overweight range. If your BMI is 30.0 or higher,
it falls within the obese range.There are different categories for obese also but
for today we are going to group those all together and just call them obese.
There is a lot of evidence that correlates sperm numbers with BMI. On average, higher BMI levels
are associated with decreased sperm concentration, total sperm count, progressive sperm movement and
sperm morphology. More importantly, the risk of having low or very low sperm counts is more common
in obesity compared to normal weight. Compared to a normal BMI the odds for having a low sperm count
is 28% higher if your BMI is between 30.0 and 39. The risk is double if your BMI is 40.0 or more.
In the United States,
about 45% of people have a BMI over 30 and about 1 in 10 have a BMI over 40. That
likely makes weight problems as the most common cause for having an abnormal semen analysis.
Given everything we know about weight and sperm production, we have been missing some
important pieces of information: such as Does weight loss improve sperm quality? If it does,
does it matter how the weight is lost?
Recently, a small study attempted to answer this question. This study was a separate analysis that
was done as part of a larger weight loss study. Participants had a starting BMI between 32
and 43. To begin, they were placed on a very low calorie diet for 8 weeks. Then,
they were randomly split into four groups: An exercise only group,
a group who took a weight loss medication, a group that exercised and took a weight loss medication
and finally a group that exercised but took a placebo or phony medication.
After the 8 week diet, the average BMI dropped from 37 to 32. During the same time,
sperm concentration increased from 79 million per milliliter
to 92 million. There was no real difference detected in the percentage of moving sperm
After 1 year. They found that some people maintained their weight loss
and some people didn't. In those that maintained their weight loss, the concentration of sperm
was significantly improved. In those that did not maintain weight loss,
there was no improvement in sperm concentration by the end of the year. It did not seem to matter
how these people maintained their weight loss. Medication or exercise or both didn't matter
A few points of caution here. When the researchers analyzed only men who began
with low sperm concentration, less than 15 million per milliliter, they were unable to show
a benefit of weight loss. This might be because weight loss is ineffective or it could be that
with lower numbers of sperm, they needed to analyze a larger number of subjects than they did.
Second, although there is a correlation with sperm concentration and fertility,
it is not absolute. Simply increasing sperm concentration alone
does not necessarily prove that more pregnancies will occur
Our InfertilityTV Bottom Line is this. Being overweight or obese
causes a number of health problems including the lowering of sperm production. Weight loss
can improve many of these conditions. It may also help increase sperm numbers. If you are
overweight and trying to conceive, attempting weight loss is a reasonable thing to do.