Does sperm-count matter for gay men?
New research highlights the importance of healthy swimmers.
For those of us that aren't prioritising reproduction, whether or not we've got a high sperm-count probably isn't high on our list of worries. As long as we're shooting big loads, what does it matter?
M-preg fantasies are one thing, but most gay men only want to be Daddies in a role-play intergenerational power-dynamic kind of way.
But new research from Denmark - published in the journal, Human Reproduction - suggests that the quality of our sperm could be a bit of a "canary in the coal-mine" in terms of our overall health. The results of the study found that men with higher sperm-counts live longer.
The researchers analysed samples from nearly 80,000 men and found that those who produced more than 120 million swimming sperm per ejaculation lived two to three years longer than those who produced fewer than 5 million.
The men with the highest-quality sperm lived to 80.3 years old on average, compared with 77.6 for those with the poorest-quality sperm.
Leading the study were Dr Lærke Priskorn and Dr Niels Jørgensen from Copenhagen University Hospital.
While there's no direct link between low sperm-count and a specific cause of death, the results suggest that semen quality reflects a man's broader health status and how likely he is to succumb to medical conditions later in life. On every measure of sperm quality the researchers exampled, low sperm-count was linked to earlier death.
The men in the study had their semen analysed between 1965 and 2015 after they reported problems fathering children. The samples were assessed for semen volume, sperm concentration, sperm shape, and the number of swimming sperm.
Using national registers, the researchers tracked the men’s health for up to 50 years after their sperm tests. There were 8,600 deaths in the follow-up period, amounting to 11% of the group.
The link between low sperm-count and an earlier death was not explained by any diseases diagnosed in the decade before testing, nor by the men’s education level, which often reflects socioeconomic status and to some extent lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet or exercise.
There's a range of factors that can negatively impact the quality of a man's semen. While genetic defects and health conditions are an obvious contributor, we also need to be conscious of lifestyle factors such as stress, as well as environmental factors such as pollutants.
How do I keep my sperm healthy?
Perhaps disappointingly, there's no silver-bullet supplement that you can take to improve the quality of your semen and boost your sperm-count.
Like most things health-related, the best thing you can do is be health - eat a balanced diet, get regular exercise, ensure quality sleep.
On top of that, you probably should try and avoid exposing your body to pollutants. The more natural and organic you can keep everything, the better chance your sperm have of living their best lives.
It's also worth taking a look at your underwear. In order for healthy sperm to be produced, your body needs to be able to regulate the temperature of your balls. If you're always wearing tight, restrictive underwear, that limits opportunities for the body to cool down. Sleep naked, free-ball when you can, vary your underwear options.
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