Maybe you thought you didn’t want to have children in the future, but now your plans have changed. Though a vasectomy is a permanent form of birth control, it may be reversed. Find out if you’re a candidate for vasectomy reversal here.
Do you get enough sleep? Does your partner? Increasing demands of work may be shortening the duration of your sleep. So may increasing time on the screen with facebook, instagram or other forms of social media. An attempt to assess the affect of sleep on the ability of men to conceive was reported in the March 2018 issue of Fertility and Sterility. Authors Lauren Anne Wise et al from the Boston University School of Public Helath, conducted the study.
The authors report that the Institute of Medicine has estimated that 50-70 million adults in the US have chronic sleep and wakefulness disorders, that about a third of US adults report less than seven hours of sleep on average. Sleep deprivation has been correlated with obesity, cardiovascular disease and all cause mortality. The authors also reference a 2013 Danish study by TK Jensen et al in American Journal of Epidemiology which reported that sleep deprivation in a study of 953 men was associated with lower sperm counts, and morphology. Previous studies have also suggested that increasing sleep deprivation may also correlate with decreased testosterone levels.
Working on the hypothesis that quantity of sleep might affect male fertility the authors evaluated 1176 men who were partners in couples trying to conceive a pregnancy. The men were questioned at 8 week intervals regarding average duration of sleep and initiation of pregnancy. Quality of sleep was also explored. With respect to sleep duration, options included <5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or >=10 hours a night.
Results showed 34% OF men reported 6 or fewer hours of sleep on average. Relative to couples where the male had 7-9 hours of sleep, chances of conception for 6 or fewer hours was about 62%. Sleep duration greater than 9 hours also seemed to have a negative effect, though the number of men in that range was low.
I generally advise my patients that sleep duration and quality can both affect fertility. Things that can affect sleep or sleep quality include caffeine, alcohol, use of tobacco, eating right before sleep, the environment for sleep and so on. It is interesting to note that the decreasing number of hours Americans are sleeping, also seem to correlate with a noted decrease in global sperm counts.
You Might Also Enjoy...
Maybe you thought you didn’t want to have children in the future, but now your plans have changed. Though a vasectomy is a permanent form of birth control, it may be reversed. Find out if you’re a candidate for vasectomy reversal here.
Millions of men are living with erectile dysfunction (ED), a common but embarrassing medical condition. Sexual arousal and erections are complicated, and the causes of ED vary. Find out more about the causes of ED here.
Kidney stones are hard mineral deposits that develop in your kidneys. Stones travel from the kidneys through the urinary tract, often causing intense pain along the way. We treat kidney stones of all sizes to minimize your pain.
Many couples experience infertility when trying for a baby. It’s common to assume that female infertility is the cause, but male infertility is just as common. Find out more about some of the most common myths surrounding male infertility here.
About 15% of men have varicoceles, which are enlarged veins in the scrotum. Varicoceles can cause pain and fertility problems, but varicocelectomy is a safe and effective treatment option.
Are you having bladder issues? Suffering from erectile dysfunction? These issues can be hard to talk about, but they could indicate an underlying condition. If you’re having any of these problems, a specialist can help.