How does sexual abstinence affect sperm quality?

-

One of the most frequent doubts in assisted reproduction treatments is how sexual abstinence influences seminal quality. The widespread belief is that long periods of abstinence can improve sperm quality. However, this theory is very far from reality.

In this article we will deal with this topic and related topics, such as whether abstinence can help achieve pregnancy, what changes can be detected in the spermogram or whether daily sex is beneficial.

Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article.

Index

How does sexual abstinence affect sperm quality?

Sexual abstinence and assisted reproduction

The World Health Organization (WHO) establishes a period of between 2 and 7 days of abstinence as optimal to achieve a pregnancy. The more days of abstinence, the worse the quality of the sperm will be.

In assisted reproduction clinics, usually, abstinence is recommended 2 to 5 days before:

  • Freeze seminal samples
  • Perform a spermogram
  • Undergo assisted reproduction treatments, both artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization (IVF)

With this, it is intended that both the quality and the seminal quantity are the ideal ones.



Changes in the spermogram

In the case that the abstinence of ejaculation is prolonged, a series of changes in the semengram or basic semengram can be observed, which is the test that is used to analyze the seminal quality routinely. Some of these modifications are:

Sperm count increases the amount of sperm in the ejaculate.Volume increases if you are more days without ejaculating.Morphology varies with abstinence.Mobilidadempeora with sexual abstinence.Vitalidadcon prolonged abstinence, the percentage of live sperm decreases.

Although it may seem that an increase in sperm count is beneficial, an excess of sperm is detrimental to mobility. To achieve pregnancy, it is necessary that a sperm is able to reach the egg: although there are many, if none manages to reach the female gamete, fertilization can not occur.

Therefore, mobility and the percentage of live sperm are essential to achieve pregnancy and a decrease in these parameters can negatively affect fertility.

Changes caused by sexual abstinence in sperm quality

In addition, through more complex tests, it has been determined that fragmentation of sperm DNA also increases the longer the storage time. This means that the genetic material of the sperm is broken, which negatively affects fertilization and embryonic development.

In recent studies, it has been proven that if you only have one day of abstinence, DNA fragmentation decreases significantly, so for some patients, it may be beneficial to reduce ejaculatory abstinence to one day.

Importance of abstinence

Keeping the days of abstinence adequate, it is achieved that the seminal quality is the best possible in each patient. This can increase the likelihood that:

  • Fecundation happens
  • There is a good embryonic development
  • Pregnancy is achieved and carried to term correctly
How can sexual abstinence influence?

Therefore, we see that the days of abstinence are one of the factors that influence when it comes to achieving pregnancy successfully. While prolonged periods without sex can worsen seminal quality, frequent sexual intercourse (every 1-3 days) helps to keep it stable and increases the likelihood of getting pregnant.

However, you should not obsess about these recommendations either. Both for the health of the relationship and for getting pregnant, it is more important to have sex when you want to follow a strict schedule.

For example, some studies have linked the fact of reaching orgasm with an increased chance of becoming pregnant. Therefore, pleasurable sexual relations can be more effective in achieving pregnancy.

We must also bear in mind that, in addition to the days of sexual abstinence, there are other factors of our day to day that may influence sperm quality.

Habits of life and seminal quality

One of the biggest concerns of men when they want to be parents is the way in which life habits can affect their fertility and how to improve it.

Sport is one of the most consulted aspects. Many men consider that practicing a sport frequently can have a negative impact on the quality of their sperm. This is not the case, since the regular practice of exercise, in general, benefits. However, in cases of high competition, it can be harmful, since it is hard training and, normally, they are associated with very restrictive diets.

On the other hand, too tight clothing can affect the production of sperm because it brings the testicle to the body and this increases the temperature that, under normal conditions, should be lower than the rest of the body.

Beneficial life habits to improve the seminal quality

The same happens with the usual practice of supporting the laptop in the genital area: the increase in temperature can affect the quality of the sperm.

Another habit that can decrease male fertility is the consumption of toxins, such as tobacco and alcohol. In addition, the administration of some types of medicines and anabolics can also adversely affect.

Finally, the Mediterranean diet and, in particular, the consumption of citrus fruit can positively influence its known antioxidant function, as well as the intake of foods rich in components with this function. Therefore, feeding is another relevant factor for seminal quality. In the following links, you can find more information about how diet can influence it:

  • What is the best diet to improve sperm?
  • What foods improve male fertility?

Questions from users

Are the same days of sexual abstinence recommended for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments as for artificial insemination?

Yes, since in both treatments, the sperm must be of the best possible quality. In addition, it is not known exactly how many days are ideal in each case or for each patient, as they may vary slightly from one to another.

For example, in patients with few sperm in the ejaculate (oligozoospermia), to increase the concentration of sperm, it may be beneficial to have one or two more days of abstinence compared to normozoospermic (without any seminal alteration), which is enough that are one day without sexual relations.

Why is sexual abstinence necessary for a spermogram if the samples will not be used for any treatment?

Maintaining adequate days of abstinence before performing the semengram allows the results of the test to be reliable. For example, if a man ejaculates two hours before obtaining the sample to analyze, both the volume and the sperm concentration will be lower than what would be if a longer period of abstinence was maintained.

Therefore, if the days of abstinence are too many or insufficient before performing the spermiogram, some seminal abnormality can be diagnosed incorrectly and indicate an inadequate assisted reproduction treatment.

Recommended reading

As we have seen, seminal quality is one of the factors that can influence when it comes to getting pregnant. To discover more about how it is examined or what may negatively affect you, we recommend that you visit the following link: Seminal quality.

The test used to evaluate male fertility is the seminogram, also known as spermogram or spermiogram. Do you want to know how semen is analyzed? Find out here: What is a semengram?

One of the questions most often asked by men undergoing assisted reproduction treatments is how they can increase their seminal quality. In the following article, we give you some recommendations to improve it: How can I increase my sperm quality?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gonal-f pen: doses of 300, 450 and 900 - How does it apply?

-
Gonal-f is a hormonal drug used in assisted reproduction treatments to cause the development of multiple follicles in the ovary. It is composed of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), a gonadotropin that acts in the menstrual cycle of women. There are several formats of Gonal-f in the market, but one of the best known is the one that is administered with a pen-type injector. Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article. Index 1. Composition and presentation 2. Mode of administration 3. Questions from users 3.1. How should the pen of Gonal-f be preserved? 3.2. What is the use of the Gonal-f pen? 3.3. What happens if I miss a day of giving the dose of Gonal-f? 4. Recommended reading 5. Bibliography 6. Authors and collaborators Questions from users surrogate pregnancy in Tenerife(Spain)
Read more

Fertility treatments in the couple: how to get pregnant?

-
Image
According to the latest report of the Spanish Fertility Society (SEF), in 2016 were carried out 138,553 cycles of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and 36,463 cycles of artificial insemination (AI), which resulted in a total of 37,503 babies born . This represents an increase of 8% in the use of assisted reproduction techniques with respect to the previous year, which shows that more and more couples need help to have the opportunity to become parents. After a year of sexual intercourse without achieving pregnancy, a couple is considered to have sterility problems, so it is advisable to start doing diagnostic tests and determine the most appropriate assisted reproduction treatment in each case, as we will discuss throughout this post. Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article. Index 1. Custom fertility treatments 2. Artificial insemination (AI) 3. In vitro fertilization (IVF) 3.1. ICSI 3.2. DGP 4. Questions from users 4.1. How muc...
Read more

What is the purpose of the ovitrelle in a fiv treatment?

-
Image
Ovitrelle is a drug that contains recombinant hCG used in assisted reproduction to stimulate ovulation and thus favor pregnancy in the treatments of artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article. Index What is the ovitrelle for in an IVF treatment? 1. Composition 2. Instructions for use 3. Indications and contraindications 4. Risks and adverse effects 5. Ovitrelle and pregnancy test 6. Questions from users 6.1. Is it normal to give ovitrelle after the transfer of the embryos? 6.2. Does the ovitrelle advance the rule? 6.3. Does alcohol consumption negatively affect the effect of ovitrelle? 6.4. What is the price of the ovitrelle ?, does it go into social security? 6.5. Should it be kept in a refrigerator or at room temperature? Composition The active principle of ovitrelle is choriogonadotropin alfa, also called recombinant hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). The qual...
Read more