Trying to conceive? Test your sperm early

Did you know that sperm production takes 3 months?

Sperm production (spermatogenesis) starts deep within the coiled tubes (seminiferous tubules) of the testicles. Over a 3-month period, primitive cells near the outer wall of these tubes develop step by step into mature sperm. After the cells multiply and grow they develop their distinctive parts: a head (containing DNA), a mid-piece packed with energy-producing mitochondria (think of it as the sperm’s battery pack) and a tail for swimming. Once fully formed, the sperm cells travel through a series of ducts first the epididymis where they gain their swimming ability, and finally to the vas deferens where they await release.

This means that when you make changes to improve your sperm, you’ll only see the effect of these changes on sperm health after3 months, and more likely 4 to 5 months. For this reason it’s important that you get your sperm tested early in your conception journey. You want to rule out sperm factors early to avoid potentially being set back another 4 months or so down the track when you finally send in a sample and realise you need to do some work.

Diet and lifestyle changes for sperm health typically include drinking enough water, cutting the alcohol, avoiding drugs, eating real food, avoiding the laptop on your lap and mobile phone in your pocket, and avoid overheating activities such as saunas. If you need to improve specific parameters in your sperm (motility, morphology) you’ll be recommended to have acupuncture and take chinese herbal medicine over a 4-5 month period for a complete spermatogenesis cycle.

The bottom line is, if you’re trying to conceive and it’s not happening easily: test sperm early, start working on your health early, and continue for a full 4-5 months before you retest for improvements.

Also see this post about the changes in sperm parameters over time and what this means for natural conception.

Image credits: “Slagter – Drawing Spermatogenesis in seminiferous tubules of testis – English labels” by Ron Slagter, Jill P.J.M. Hikspoors, MUMC+, Hope Wicks, LUMC et al, license: CC BY-NC-SA