Male infertility is a common condition today. Various factors in daily life can damage reproductive health, leading to male infertility. In many cases, the issue lies with the male partner, as numerous factors can prevent successful conception.
What are the causes of male infertility?
1. Improper diet and excessive alcohol consumption
Overindulgence in pungent, hot, and yang-enhancing foods can cause heat accumulation in the Chong and Ren meridians. This heat disturbs the semen chamber, leading to seminal emission, premature ejaculation, or even persistent penile erection. Excessive consumption of cold and raw foods damages yang energy and generates internal cold, resulting in coldness in the lower abdomen, impotence, and thin semen.Excessive consumption of cottonseed oil can cause lifelong infertility in men.
Indulging in rich, fatty foods and strong alcohol can damage the spleen and generate dampness (or damp-heat). Dampness accumulating in the scrotum can cause hydrocele (fluid accumulation in the scrotum). Dampness obstructing qi circulation and impairing bladder qi transformation can lead to dysuria, urinary retention, cloudy urine, and other conditions.Reckless use of warming, drying, yang-tonifying drugs (including medicinal wines and tonic foods) generates heat and damages yin fluids. Excessive yang stimulation heightens sexual desire, ultimately depleting both yin and yang and undermining the foundation of male vitality. Similarly, chronic hunger leads to inadequate nutrition and insufficient metabolic resources, resulting in qi and blood deficiency, physical emaciation, and depleted essence. This naturally impairs sexual and reproductive functions.
2. Immune Dysfunction
Inflammatory conditions like prostatitis, epididymitis, urethritis, or orchitis can trigger immune responses that produce anti-sperm antibodies. These antibodies deactivate sperm, ultimately causing infertility.
3. Environmental and Physical Factors
Deficiencies in certain vitamins and trace elements can cause malnutrition in sperm development. Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and mental stress can also lead to underdeveloped sperm or reduced motility. Long-term use of certain medications, widespread exposure to chemical reagents, food additives, pesticides, and environmental radiation all adversely affect reproductive function, potentially causing infertility.
What should men with infertility eat?
1. Dietary supplementation should include kidney-tonifying and essence-nourishing foods such as: Chinese yam, tofu skin, frozen tofu, eel, ginkgo nuts, walnuts, peanuts, sea cucumber, and sesame seeds. Foods that enhance libido and fertility include: edible fungi, red dates, grapes, lotus seeds, honey, dog meat, lamb, and animal penises.Traditional Chinese dietary therapy aligns with Western nutritional science in these principles.
2. Western medicine emphasizes that adequate protein and vitamins promote sperm production. Vitamins A, B complex, and E enhance reproductive function. Additionally, trace elements like zinc, manganese, and selenium significantly impact male fertility.Sperm quality is closely tied to its environment within semen, which primarily consists of proteins, arginine, various vitamins, and trace elements. Therefore, dietary approaches to improve sperm health should prioritize foods rich in these components. 3. Protein-rich foods include lean meats, eggs, fish, shrimp, and soy products. Foods high in arginine include lean meats, soy products, and black fish.Given arginine's crucial role in sperm production, these foods should be consumed regularly. 4. Supplement with various vitamins. Vitamins aid sperm generation, promote sperm production, and protect reproductive organs from damage. Vitamin E, in particular, is closely linked to male reproductive health. Men can use vitamin E capsules to supplement their vitamin intake.