Tips For Men Who Are Trying To Conceive

Are you the male half of a couple that's trying to conceive or thinking about it? It's not at all impossible that all this "TTC" stuff is driving you crazy before you even ditch the contraceptives. It might take two to tango, but nearly all information about getting pregnant is geared towards women. Ovulation, cervical mucus, luteal phases, menstruation, folic acid supplements, no more alcohol, pink storks, cute flowers, and lovely terms like "babydancing" could be invading your life. 

OK, some of that stuff is really important and many women are weirded out by all those cutesy words and concepts too. Despite that, you may be feeling left out. That should be fixed — not just because "daddies" are important too and your feelings should be hurt (haha), but because your preconception health matters just as much. So, what steps should guys who want to be dads take? 

Go For That Preconception Checkup

Not every couple sees a doctor before they try to add to their family. If you have the chance, (which you do, unless your partner gets pregnant accidentally) do go and get that preconception checkup together. Women may need intrauterine devices removed and they benefit from a general gynecological checkup. You should both really be tested for sexually transmitted diseases and nutritional deficiencies before you start trying to conceive. 

Both men and women who are trying to conceive should ideally be at a healthy weight, exercise regularly, and eat well. We'll get there later, but it's likely your family doctor will discuss these things with you both if you do get that preconception checkup. Alcohol and cigarettes are also bound to come up during your preconception visit. Neither women nor men who are trying to conceive should be smoking.

Finally, you should discuss any prescription and over-the-counter medication you are taking with your doctor. Some medications have a negative impact on fertility, while others are completely incompatible with trying to conceive. Men who are undergoing chemotherapy should not be trying for a baby for a good while, for instance. If you have asthma, ulcers, or gastrointestinal issues you may also be taking drugs that lower your fertility. Your doctor may have alternative treatment options for you, or you may temporarily stop treatment. In any case, this needs to be discussed. 

See Also: Overview of Male Fertility Treatments

Alcohol For Future Fathers?

Women who want to get pregnant should really drink any alcohol at all, because they could theoretically be pregnant almost all of the time and even small amounts of alcohol can do great harm during early pregnancy. Men should also be really careful with the booze. Too much alcohol lowers your testosterone levels, reduces your sperm count, and lowers its quality. Excessive alcohol intake is also bad news for your libido and can even lead to (temporary) impotence, a phenomenon many men are familiar with. Oh, and an intoxicated partner isn't sexy unless you've been drinking yourself, so your other half might not be too pleased either. 

More Tips For Guys Who Want To Have A Baby

Proper Testicular Care

You may have heard that tight-fitting and especially synthetic briefs will fry your testicles and keep you from getting your partner pregnant. Recent research suggests that it doesn't actually matter that much. If you want to do everything in your power to boost your fertility, cotton boxers can't hurt though. 

Other things that are more likely to overheat your testicles and interfere with sperm production are hot tubs, sitting with your laptop on your lap, and cycling. You may want to avoid these things for a while, until you get that positive pregnancy test. Cell phones may pose a danger as well.

You may want to take a closer look at health and safety hazards you could be facing at work, too. (Yes, that goes for both men and women.) Are you working with nasty chemicals? Things like lead, mercury, nickel, chromium, ethylene glycol ethers, benzene, fertilizers and pesticides could have a bad impact on your fertility and are also dangerous to unborn babies. 

Eating And Exercising — Oh, And Supplements Too

Both sexes are more likely to have optimal fertility if they eat healthily, exercise regularly, and are at normal weights. If any of these things are currently not quite the way they should be for either you or your partner, now is the time to start fixing that.

At the risk of sounding condescending, I'll state the obvious. Eating healthily involves consuming responsible portions and not ingesting a ridiculous amount of calories. It also means eating foods from all major food groups, including whole grains, legumes and beans, and plenty of fresh fruits and veggies. Fat and sugar should be limited.

If you're currently either overweight or underweight, your doctor can give you some diet tips during that preconception checkup. There's no better reason than a baby to get healthy, is there? For overweight folks, exercising regularly is a key part of losing weight. For people at a healthy weight, being active regularly is maintenance.  Yes, sex counts as exercise. Just make sure you do other stuff too. 

You probably know that folic acid is the one vitamin that has been proven to prevent birth defects. That's why your partner needs to start taking 400 mg of the stuff three months before you start trying to conceive. Folic acid takes a while to build up in the body. This B vitamin also increases fertility in both sexes, so you can take it too.

See Also: Advice on trying to conceive!

Sex And Stuff

Regular intercourse is, of course, key to achieving pregnancy. Research shows that your sperm count increases if you don't ejaculate for more than a week, but your swimmers' movement actually goes down. The moral of that story is that you shouldn't wait for the female fertile window to do the deed. Couples who have intercourse every day or every other day still have the best chance of conceiving. 

One word of caution — some lubricants contain spermicide, which will make all that hard work meaningless. If you do use lube, make sure it's trying-to-conceive friendly. You can also go natural and use canola oil instead.