Thread by @firstdoctorr

11 common ways men damage their #sperm without knowing

1. Tight underwears
2. Hot baths
3. Infections
4. Varicoceles
5. Laptops
6. Drugs
7. Mobile phones
8. Smoking
9. Marijuana
10. Heavy drinking
11. Steroids

A thread 🧵

{Share to who needs this!}

Wear boxers instead of tight pants, & go to bed naked if you want to become a father!

Wearing tight #underwears like pants or shorts keep your testicles closer to the body, leading to warmer temperatures that may kill sperm & lower your sperm count.

Bathing with #hotwater frequently exposes your testicles to heat, which can reduce your sperm count.

Same thing happens to men who use saunas often.

In fact, if you're worried about infertility, it's best to bath with normal or lukewarm water.

Avoid hot water baths!

Some #infections can block sperm production or passage, due to scaring.

Infections of the testicles (e.g. mumps orchitis), sperm tube (epididymitis) & STI's like HIV & gonorrhea can do this.

Subsequent permanent damage to the testis may occur, leading to low infertility.

#Varicoceles (swelling of the testis veins) is a major cause of low sperm count & infertility in men.

Sperm cells are very fragile. Varicoceles create abnormal temperature inside the testis which might kill some sperm or reduce sperm quality.

Treat your varicoceles.

An average #laptop generates heat of up to 70°C during use.

Placing it directly on your laps can transfer some of that heat to your testis.

Prolonged use may cause irreversible changes in your male reproductive function.

Use your laptop on a desk or table rather.

Some common legal & illegal #drugs affect sperm e.g.

• blood pressure pills like Atenolol
• anti-inflammatory drugs like Sulfasalazine
• most anti-cancer drugs
• cocaine, &
• many herbal remedies like the herb Tripterygium wilfordii

See a doctor before taking drugs.

Heat & radiation from #phones can damage sperm.

Studies shown that using a phone for as little as 1 hr a day 'cooks sperm'.

Men are hence advised to keep their cell phones as far away from the testes as possible e.g. hold in your hand or back pocket instead of front pocket.

Analysis of smokers' semen show the presence of #tobacco in their sperm. 

This lowers sperm count & sperm ability to swim actively to fertilize a woman's egg.

So smoking can affect a man's sperm in such a way that fertilization becomes hard.

Avoid smoking.

Regular intake of #marijuana in any form can reduce your sperm count by as much as a one-third!

Weed 🌿 can lower the level of testosterone, a hormone needed by the body to produce sperm.

Weed also slows down sperm motility.

Beware of weed!

Drinking excess #alcohol can affect your sperm count, shape, size & motility.

Heavy drinking can lower your testosterons, follicle stimulating hormone and leutenizing hormone levels, and raise your estrogen level, causing decreased sperm production.

Finally, a serious issue nowadays is some guys take #steroids to build muscles.

Steroids harm sperm by making the testicles believe there's enough testosterone in the body, so they should relax.

This leads to reduced sperm production & male infertility.

Stop steroid abuse.

A lot of couples currently have fertility problems & a large part is sperm-related.

Some studies have shown that sperm counts have been declining steadily over the past 50 years.

Men, avoid those factors listed & boost your sperm count, motility, viability & overall fertility.

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