Sperm wails

Presents the situation and possible solutions concerning the ways on how to cure low sperm count or infertility. Causes of infertility; Approach for treating infertility.

By Richard Firshein, published on September 01, 1997

Q: I'm a 33-year-old computer technician. My husband and I have been tryingto have a baby for the past five years, but nothing is happening. All our tests are normal--I even had my fallopian tubes checked for blockage--except that my husband's sperm count is a little low. Is there any way to treat that condition naturally?

A: Rates of infertility are now astronomical--10 million American women are infertile, and men's sperm counts have plummeted by nearly 50 percent in the last 60 years. Even so, I've had excellent results treating fertility problems. One patient of mine had been trying to get pregnant for 10 years. I put this woman and her spouse on a nutrient program, and after a month she conceived, at age 43. Another patient, a man, was able to double his low sperm count after two months on supplements.

Infertility is often due to subtle derailments of the hormone and immune systems, and we're at increased risk for this today because we're exposed to massive levels of pollution and pesticides, as well as the hormones found in birth control pills and much of our meat. We are literally swimming in a sea of hormone-like compounds. Pesticides are particularly dangerous. Many work by disrupting the reproductive cycle of insects, and they can have much the same impact in our own bodies. Compounds in pesticides and in plastics (polychlorinated biphenols, or PCBs) function like estrogen, but they are actually more powerful and stimulating than your body's estrogen. In women, these synthetic compounds may disrupt the reproductive cycle, diminishing the length of time a woman is fertile. In men, these excess estrogens may block male hormones, and are perhaps responsible for declining sperm counts. (There is also speculation that rising rates of some types of cancer might in part be due to the presence in our bodies of these pesticides, which may stimulate small, existing tumors to grow.)

Additional stress comes from a diet inadequate in vital nutrients, as well as the constant onslaught of toxins from polluted air and water. I recently read an interesting, if extreme, case in which a police officer who worked on a target range and routinely handled lead bullets became infertile because of low-level lead poisoning. Lead and other heavy metals are still present in high amounts in our environment.

My approach for treating infertility is two pronged. First, I strengthen the immune system by adding powerful antioxidants and nutrients. I recommend VITAMIN C, which concentrates in sperm and prevents free radical damage; a good multivitamin; and a diet that emphasizes organic foods, especially meats and eggs that have not been laced with hormones.

For men, I prescribe ZINC, which is present in high concentration in sperm and the prostate gland, as well as GLYCINE and TAURINE, two important amino acids that act as important antioxidants for sperm.

For women, I emphasize a diet high in natural plant estrogens, including soy and yams, as well as the herb CHASTEBERRY, which stimulates a mid-cycle hormone called luteinizing hormone, helps increase levels of another reproductive hormone, progesterone, and has long been used to enhance fertility. I also prescribe EVENING PRIMROSE OIL, which contains high amounts of fatty acids that help balance hormones.

Finally, stress can inhibit fertility, so I suggest meditation techniques to all my patients who are trying to conceive.

PHOTO (COLOR): Are sperm rapidly becoming an endangered species? The number of sperm in ejaculation has fallen from 113 million per milliliter in 1940 to a mere 66 million in 1990.

BY DR. RICHARD FIRSHEIN