How To Know If Your Partner's Sperm Is Healthy Just By Looking At It

Trying to conceive can be one of the most challenging times for a couple. Safe to say, having healthy sperm or strong sperm improves the chances of getting pregnant. But sometimes, this topic might be hard to broach with your husband. It can be a sensitive issue to bring up.

So how can you tell if your husband's sperm is healthy? What does healthy sperm look like? We have some tips on how to tell if sperm is healthy.

Why a Healthy Sperm is Important to Make a Baby

Let's talk about why having healthy sperm is crucial for conception. When it comes to making a baby, both the egg and sperm play vital roles. Healthy sperm is essential for successful fertilisation. They need to be strong swimmers to navigate through the female reproductive system and reach the egg.

Not only that, but they should also have the right shape and size to penetrate the egg's protective outer layer. Plus, healthy sperm carry the genetic information that will combine with the egg's DNA to create a unique individual.

So, guys, remember, healthy sperm increases the chances of conception. You may need to use sperm booster to help with fertility.

How To Tell If Sperm Is Healthy Just By Looking At It?

1. Check its colour

Your husband's semen says a lot about his sperm health, naturally. The colour of the semen is the best self-help indication of its health. The first thing you need to check is the colour of the sperm and it will tell you a lot about its health.

2. Check its texture

Healthy sperm is viscous or jelly-like in consistency. You may notice slight texture variations depending on:

• the amount of time since your last ejaculation
• your cannabis use
• your alcohol consumption
• your eating habits

A temporary change in texture is usually not a cause for concern unless you are experiencing other unusual symptoms.

Consult a doctor if you are experiencing pain, discomfort, or fatigue, as well as a significant change in the texture of your sperm.

3. Check its thickness

These symptoms, together with thickened sperm, may indicate severe dehydration, hormonal imbalance, or infection. Prostate inflammation can also cause thickened sperm.

Infertility can result from thick sperm because it prevents the sperm from moving effectively toward the egg.

Watery sperm, on the other hand, could be a sign of vitamin deficiency or infertility.

The sperm may appear translucent or clearer than usual, indicating that it contains a very small amount of sperm.

What Causes an Unhealthy Sperm

If you're wondering what factors can harm your sperm health, we've got you covered. Check out these five common culprits that can cause unhealthy sperm.

1. Smoking: Lighting up can damage sperm DNA and reduce sperm count, motility, and morphology.
2. Excessive Alcohol Consumption: Heavy drinking can negatively affect sperm production and quality.
3. Obesity: Being overweight can lead to hormonal imbalances and lower sperm quality.
4. Stress: Chronic stress can disrupt hormone levels and impair sperm production.
5. High Heat Exposure: Frequent exposure to hot tubs, saunas, or placing laptops on the lap can raise scrotal temperatures and harm sperm production.

Signs Of Unhealthy Sperm

You can understand why your sperm is unhealthy for a variety of reasons. You must keep an eye on a few things:

• Keep an eye on the colour of the sperm. If your sperm is yellow, you may have jaundice, which is bad for your health and also bad if you want to start a family.

• Drinking alcohol or eating sulfur-rich foods can also cause the yellow colour of the sperm. Because of the side effects, that sperm is harmful to the foetus.

• If your sperm is yellowish-green in colour, it means that it contains bacteria that travel from the urinary tract to the prostate gland.

• You may occasionally have blood in your sperm, which indicates that you have high blood pressure, which makes it impossible for the couple to conceive.

• If you find blood in your sperm, it could be due to sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhoea, herpes, or chlamydia.

• Sometimes the blood is black, indicating that your body has old blood due to spinal cord injuries.

• If the texture of the sperm changes due to a lack of physical activity, alcohol consumption, marijuana use, or diet, the sperm may be unhealthy.

• Testicular swelling caused by epididymis or orchitis (testicle inflammation) can result in unhealthy sperm.

• The abnormality in the pituitary gland when it releases hormones to the testicles affects normal testosterone production. In nature, the sperm released at that time is unhealthy.

Other factors used to determine the health of sperm

The health of sperm is determined by a variety of factors, including its movement, structure, and quantity.

• Movement

Sperm is supposed to move to be able to reach and fertilise the egg. The sperm wrinkles and swims through a woman’s cervix, her uterus, and the fallopian tubes. This movement of the sperms is known as motility.

• Structure

The structure of the sperm is known as its morphology. Sperms generally have long tails and oval heads, which can work together and also move. The more chances of fertility you will have if the sperms have standard structure and shape.

• Quantity

When you ejaculate, your chances of becoming pregnant improve. The sperm released in a single ejaculation contains nearly 15 million sperm per millilitre. It is difficult to become pregnant if ejaculation contains insufficient sperm.

How To Tell If Sperm Is Healthy: Practice Healthy Habits

Healthy sperm is not all about the fertility or virility of your husband. Sure, age plays a part in how healthy sperm is, but did you know that men can produce sperm until they're 80? The health of the sperm starts to decline as a man passes his 40th birthday and motility (the ability to move towards an egg) slows down between 20 to 80. 

However, there are some practices that can be encouraged for men to produce healthy sperms. 

1. Keep it cool down below

Sperm is only produced at cool temperatures - so when it’s summer on the testicles, you can expect trouble in paradise. Your man should avoid overheating the crotch area, so sauna sessions and hot baths should be kept at a minimum. Get rid of your husband's tighty-whities and opt for loose boxer shorts as the go-to undergarment so the sperm factory keeps on churning.

2. Eat well

A healthy and well-balanced diet containing all the major food groups not only gives you the energy you need to get through your day, but is also key to assembling a healthy army of sperm.

Food with folates like green vegetables, potatoes and legumes help increase sperm count, while Vitamin D, through cereal and fatty fish ensures sperm’s optimum shape and mobility.

Fatty fish also contain omega-3 fatty acids, which is known to improve sperm structure and number.

3. Avoid a sedentary way of life

Sedentism is the most common cause of watery, low-quality sperm.

Westernized diets, high-fat diets, and obesity caused by sedentary lifestyles, according to studies, can double the risk of sperm DNA damage, resulting in lower sperm quality.

To develop healthy sperm and have healthy offspring, you must avoid sedentary behaviour.

4. Lose the belly and stay active

It’s not just enough to eat well, you need to encourage your husbands to get off the couch and get to the gym. Studies show that physically active men have higher testosterone levels, which leads to better sperm. Exercise can also help libido, so there's that! 

One of the leading causes of many diseases is a lack of exercise. Regular exercise benefits sperm quality in addition to immunity, mental health, cardiovascular health, and respiratory health.

A study found that regular exercise increases testosterone levels, resulting in better sperm quality. You should start exercising regularly if you want to know how to make sperm thicker and stronger.

5. Quit smoking

Plenty of studies show that smoking lowers sperm count, decreased sperm mobility and poor sperm shape. It’s also linked to increased miscarriage rates as well.

It has already been stated that smoking causes DNA damage and can result in sperm abnormalities, which affects sperm quality. As a result, if you smoke and want thicker, stronger sperm, now is the time to quit.

If your husband quits smoking now, you will be able to see improvements in just three months - the same time it takes for sperm cells to reach maturity.

6. Limit your alcohol consumption

Avoid excessive alcohol consumption, which may lower testosterone levels and impair sperm quality.

7. Get enough sleep

Getting enough sleep is essential for good health. Sleep deprivation or excess has also been linked to poor sperm quality.

8. Relax, take it easy.

It’s not just important for the body to be healthy, the mind needs to be in tip-top shape as well. Stress is known to decrease sexual function or worse, shut down the sperm factory altogether. It's important to help your husband feel relaxed if you're hoping to get healthy sperm!

Do some relaxation techniques. The impact of psychological stress on health is always detrimental, not only to mental health but also to physical health.

You may be stressed at work or preparing for a family, in which case your stress level may rise. This will have a negative effect on the quality of your sperm.

Though the exact cause is unknown, it is thought that stress can affect hormonal levels, which in turn affect sperm quality.

As a result, you should engage in stress relief programmes, meditation, and yoga to reduce stress and, as a result, find out how to make sperm thicker and stronger.

How To Make Sperm Thicker And Stronger?

Foods to Eat for Thicker and Stronger Sperm

According to studies, diet is always important in health. Processed foods, fatty dairy products, coffee, sugary drinks, sweets, potatoes, or a lack of fibre, vegetables, and fruits all contribute to poor sperm quality and low fertility.

Your diet should include the following foods to maintain overall health:

• Oily sea fish
• Nuts and seeds
• Bananas
• Fenugreek
• Spinach
• Eggs
• Oysters
• Garlic
• Walnuts
• Asparagus
• Ashwagandha
• Pomegranate

Because food provides essential nutrients to sperm, the foods listed above will improve its health, making it stronger and thicker. Consume as little soy as possible. Soy contains isoflavones, which have been linked to poor sperm quality.

Inadequate nutrition, on the other hand, has an adverse effect on sperm quality, movement, fusion with the female egg, and male fertility.

To address male infertility caused by poor sperm quality, a change in lifestyle, particularly diet, is required.

Vitamins, Medicinal Herbs, and Supplements

1. Consume enough folate
   

   A few studies suggest that a low folate intake may impair sperm quality

2. Consume plenty of vitamin C
   

   Vitamin C is well-known for its immune-boosting properties, but it also plays an important role in male fertility.

   According to research, oxidative stress contributes to male infertility. This is prevented by vitamin C, which may also improve sperm concentration and motility.

   As a result, it is best to include vitamin C-rich foods in your diet and to take a vitamin supplement as directed by your doctor.

3. Consume enough Vitamin D

   Vitamin D deficiency is a common problem that affects all of your body's systems, including the male reproductive system, according to new research.

   According to research, an adequate amount of Vitamin D, with its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action, aids in reducing oxidative damage and protecting sperm cells, resulting in improved sperm motility and quality.

   As a result, including Vitamin D is one of the best ways to make sperm thicker and stronger.

4. Consider Zinc
   

   Zinc is a hormonal balancer that helps the male hormone testosterone, the prostate gland, and other sexual health functions function properly. It also acts as an antibacterial agent, assisting in the prevention of bacterial infections.

   In fact, zinc has been scientifically proven to be a source of nutrients essential for sperm health, with several positive outcomes for male infertility prevention and management.

5. Consider taking supplements
   

   Antioxidant supplements appear to be effective as well. According to some studies, coenzyme Q10 improves sperm quality.

   Try consuming fenugreek supplements. Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek) is a popular culinary and medicinal herb. The supplement increased testosterone levels significantly.

   You may also consider tribulus terrestris. Tribulus terrestris, also known as puncture vine, is a popular medicinal herb for increasing male fertility. More research is needed, however, to confirm its aphrodisiac properties and assess the long-term risks and benefits of supplementing with it.

Certain Medications Should Be Avoided

Each medication is not suitable for every part of the body. Some have adverse effects that eventually impair body functions.

As a result, some medications can have a negative impact on testosterone levels, sperm structure, motility, and number.

Some of these medications include:

• Antidepressant drugs, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
• Calcium channel blockers are medications used to treat hypertension and heart failure.
• Anti-epileptic drugs such as carbamazepine, phenytoin, and valproate cause sperm shape changes, lower sperm count, and poor sperm quality.

Sperm Concerns:When To Consult a Doctor

Even if you're in good health, your sperm may exhibit minor colour changes throughout your life.

If you're experiencing any other unusual symptoms, consult a doctor or other healthcare professional.

These are some examples:

• difficulty urinating or complete inability

• heaviness or swelling in the genital area

• a rash or irritation on your scrotum or penis

• cloudy or clear discharge

• a cold or flu-like illness

• fever

Here at theAsianparent Singapore, it's important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn't serve as an alternative for medical advice or medical treatment. theAsianparent Singapore is not responsible for those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend consulting your doctor for clearer information.