Hubby health - how much does it matter?

[rainbow]

Hiya,
I know that the mother needs to stay healthy because she is carrying the baby and providing for it's needs.
But what about the initial conception... when the baby is made up of half dad and half mum... does hubby's health matter much here? Of course it would with hereditary dieases and the like but I'm talking about his general health in terms of things like what he's been eating, whether he's on any medication, whether he's a smoker? Does that matter?
I hoping hubby will quit smoking before we start trying (would like him to be smoke-free during the pregnancy as well as around the child afterwards) so it would be nice if I could be all informed on how this stuff works so I know how to choose my words when I'm with him.
Thanks a bunch! :)

[Lallas' Mum]

Hi Rainbow,

Hubby's health does matter in regards to fertility mainly. Smoking will affect his sperm count along with other things such as his weight, fitness, alcohol intake, caffeine intake.
Looser fitting jocks or boxers are also supposed to help sperm count.

In regards to fertility - I found an interesting little fact out. To help in conceiving in is very benificial for the woman to have an orgasm!! It actually helps the sperm hit it's mark due to the spasming. I know it's a little personal but every little bit helps.


Tracey
:) Mum to Alec and bub due May 3rd

[pinkandblue]

I dont think the smoking thing matters too much. My husband has been smoking for years. He never stopped when I tried to fall pregnant, never stopped while I was pregnant and he still smokes now. I also was smoking until I found out I was pregnant and my daughter came out fine. She is 2 now and there are no problems. I am 7 1/2 weeks pregnant again and he is still smoking but not around me and my daughter.

[RuthK]

Rainbow

It's crazy, I was thinking of posting exactly the same post. I think hubby's health does make a lot of difference. I conceived my 1st and 2nd babies first time around when my hubby was at the peak of his physical fitness and eating well (he drinks little and never smoked, is a runner). But we're trying for No.3 and it's our 3rd month with no success. My hubby has gained weight since my last baby as he's been injured and unable to run and he eats a lot of naughty foods and puts salt on everything. My physical fitness has been very constant all the way through, so I am beginning to wonder whether he might be the problem?

Does anyone know of what sort of diet for the man can help these matters?

Kaz

[alicesmum]

hi everyone
just thought i'd add something in case it's relevant. a friend tried for 12 months with her second - it took that long because DH was run down (had had something like glandular fever or CFS or something) and apparently a man's immune system will affect sperm count (which you've already mentioned). But, more interestingly, poor quality sperm or a low count is apparently a much more common cause overall than any 'women's issues' for difficulty in falling pregnant.

So kick those men up the bum to get happy and healthy (but not so much that they get stressed, coz that will lower the count also!). :p :p

[Lallas' Mum]

Okay Gals I've got some more info.

Some recommended supplements (or things that should be included in your partners diet) are Vitamin E and Zinc Sulphate. Vitamin E helps prevent damage to sperm cells by acting as an antioxidant. Zinc Sulphate is used in the formation of new sperm and maintainance of sperm mobility. (please see your GP before taking supplements though especially Zinc Sulphate).
It is recommended that hubby avoids St John's Wort and Cotton/cottonroot (not cotton the fabric just the supplement) as these can affect sperm count and quality.

I've already mentioned wearing loose undies, but they should also avoid frequent hot baths and saunas as this will interfere will sperm production.

This may disgust them a little but it is best to have sex every second day as frequent ejaculation will reduce sperm quality.

Stress is also a factor for men.

Just a little extra fact for those trying to conceive - you actually only have a 25% rate of conceiving each month. so don't despair if this month isn't your month.

I hope this helps.

Tracey
Mum to Alec 18 months and bub due May 3rd

[rainbow]

OK I can see what sperm count is about but what is sperm quality?
Let me explain my focus: I'm trying to understand how to start the best possible baby rather than trying to conceive in a flash.
So that's why I'm wondering what sperm quality is all about?
Thanks!

[alicesmum]

hi rainbow
i'll add what i know. a friend of mine's ex-husband was infertile (one reason among many why he's now "ex" :p ) as his sperm quality was very poor. They tried IVF for ages but his little swimmers just didn't swim very well and every time they fertilised an egg, they were so weak and mongie (technical term ...LOL) that the zygote didn't survive. Anyway, that was a genetic thing....not brought about by anything he did or didn't do.

Now here's my story - my DH drinks way way too much wine, doesn't do much exercise and works in a very high stress job and we got pregnant accidentally (i must admit worrying a little about the baby given his very ordinary health) but our DD is bright as a button, healthy as a horse and clearly, a brilliantly talented child!!!!! :D

so i wouldn't worry too much about "how to to start the best possible baby" - you don't really have any control over biology and genetics!! we get what we get!

:p :p

[rainbow]

Thanks so much everyone for your feedback.
Just to clarify - I am interested in learning how to avoid disadvantaging my baby rather than dreaming about some child prodigy.
I will be thrilled with my child no matter what he/she turns out like. I am anticipating my love for the child in advance and wanting to look out for their best interests from the very, very beginning. :)

[Lallas' Mum]

Hi again.

Sperm quality as well described by Alicesmum is to do with how healthy and well formed the sperm is. Some are good swimmers, some are bad. Some swim in the wrong direction, some are malformed and some are even dead. But don't fear it is surprising how many dead and abnormal swimmers there are in a normal sperm count. As Alicesmum also mentioned, usually zygotes formed from poor quality sperm don't survive. Miscarriages as terrible as they are, are usually natures way of sorting out serious problems.

Genetics is something we have no control over. Some things may be passed down through the parents whether we want them to be or not. My son suffered from Benign familial infantile seizures from the time he was about 5 months old until he was about one. It was something that was passed down through his father who also suffered with seizures as a child. His brother and sister were never affected. You just don't know what will happen. I was pretty fanatical in my first pregnancy, making sure I ate correctly and avoided ALL the possible harmful things but in the end genetics won. Don't get me wrong I think my son is perfect in every way and I think we did a fantastic job in getting him here. I only mention this as there is only so much we can do to ensure the best start. Sometimes things go wrong regardless of what we do. I am sure you are aware of this by the sounds of your last post but I wanted to make sure you were keeping this in mind in case something happens and you blame yourself for it.

Anyhow, if I find anymore helpful hints I'll be sure to let you know.

Tracey
:) Mum to Alec and bub due May 3rd

[claire&declan]

Hi there everyone,

just thought id add a bit of information my husband and I found interesting. 4 years ago we starting trying to have a family, after numerous tests on myself to find out what my prob. was as we had not concieved after about 13 months, we resorted to IVF. During this process you tend to learn an awful lot more about the whole process as it is broken down alot more. My husband has two children from a previous marriage (now 18 & 15) so we assumed that it wasn't him. After the last tests we found out the difficulties were with him and not me. My specialist then informed us that bad health or a mainly a serious virus could affect the long term production of sperm. So bear in mind the worse your health is the lower your imune system is and the higher the chance of getting a serious virus, it turned out that my husbands sperm count was execellent however the motility and normality were really bad. I am glad to say though thanks to the wonders of science we now have a beautiful 2 yr old son and just today we have started another IVF cycle to try and give him a sibling. Good luck to everyone out there trying.