When men think about their overall health, they may give very little thought to how to maintain male reproductive health. If fertility problems happen at some point in family life, it’s not uncommon for people to think of it as a problem with female reproductive health. However, like women, men should be proactive about their reproductive health.
There are things men can do to increase their chances of producing healthy sperm. The experts at the California Center for Reproductive Health help both women and men work on being more forward-thinking about their reproductive health. So, what do men need to do to achieve and maintain optimal reproductive health?

Make Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Lifestyle choices can impact every system in the body, including the male reproductive system. Small daily choices that seem to have minimal effect on overall health may impact reproductive health in the long run.
Men should work on getting to a healthy body weight, and once there, work on maintaining it. Some research indicates that having a high body mass index (BMI) can affect the production of sperm. Physical activity can have a positive impact on sperm production, so men should make an effort to make regular physical activity a habit.
In a rushed society, many men grab fast food on the run more often than they should. For good reproductive health, men need to be sure their diet includes nutritious choices such as protein from lean meats, vegetables, and fruits, whole grains, and low-fat dairy. Processed food and caffeine should be limited.
Stress is harmful to overall health, and when not managed properly, it can affect hormones and sexual functioning. Men need to be proactive about learning stress management techniques, which include getting on a regular sleep schedule.
Chemicals can be harmful to male reproductive health. Men who smoke may have lower sperm count and poorer sperm quality not to mention the impact smoking can have on their overall health. For these reasons, men who smoke need to commit to quitting. Consumption of alcohol and other substances should also be limited.
Men who don’t consume enough water may be dehydrated, and that can lead to a lower volume of semen and lower sperm quality. It’s important to drink plenty of water to help flush toxins from the body.

Prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

Men who contract an STI such as gonorrhea or chlamydia are at a higher risk of infertility. To help prevent contracting STIs, it’s a good idea for men to commit to a monogamous relationship with a partner who isn’t infected. Men who aren’t in a committed relationship should limit the number of partners they have, and always wear a condom.
Having a physical at least annually allows a man’s doctor to screen for abnormalities and take action right away if there are any concerns or anything that needs to be remedied. Men who have made poor choices in the past about sexual activity or lifestyle choices can work on getting healthier so that they can make better choices going forward.
There are some factors that can’t be controlled, but men should do what they can to help their reproductive system be as healthy as possible. Get in touch with the experts at the Center for Reproductive Health today to learn more about maintaining good male reproductive health.

Whether or not you’re currently trying to get pregnant, it’s important to remember that the choices you’re making today are affecting your reproductive health now and in the future. While there are some things that are out of your control when it comes to fertility, there are also things you can do to take care of your body. Healthy lifestyle choices can help you to look better and feel better and can also improve the health of your reproductive system. What are the ways you can maintain good reproductive health?

Healthy Food Choices

When your diet consists of junk food, fast food, and empty calories, it probably lacks important nutrients. The problem with poor eating habits is that the harm you may be causing your body may not show up right away, which makes it easy to think you’re not doing anything wrong. For good reproductive and overall health, be sure to include plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and proteins from lean meats or plant sources.
Nutrients are an important factor in your eating habits, but you should also think about whether you’re maintaining a healthy body weight. Your ability to conceive can be harmed by being either underweight or overweight. Work on attaining and maintaining a healthy weight.

Physical Activity

A sedentary lifestyle can take a toll on your body. Regular exercise is beneficial for your heart, lungs, and reproductive system and it can help to maintain good body weight. If you haven’t been exercising at all, start with a short low-intensity workout of walking, swimming, dancing, or biking. Include strength training and flexibility exercises.
At the other extreme, it’s possible to exercise too much or too intensely. Overexercising can have a negative impact on your hormones. Exercising over 60 minutes a day may increase the risk of infertility.

Routine Screenings

Routine gynecological screening may seem unpleasant or a nuisance, but there’s a reason to make time for them. Screenings can detect illnesses you may not know you have, and cancers and other illnesses that affect the reproductive system may not be discovered for years without regular exams.
Another important reason to follow through with routine screenings is if there’s any chance you have been exposed to sexually transmitted illnesses (STIs), you may not have any symptoms. Untreated STIs can cause damage to your reproductive organs, so if you have contracted one of these illnesses, treatment should be started right away. Commit to always practicing safe sex to help avoid contracting STIs.

Make Good Health a Priority

Small daily habits can have a big impact on your health and your hormones. If you’re a smoker, talk to your doctor about the best ways to quit. Drink plenty of water and limit caffeine and alcohol consumption. Consider the impact stress may be having on your health and the way you feel. Being under stress for weeks or months at a time eventually takes its toll on your body including your reproductive health. Make time for things that help manage your stress such as yoga and meditation and aim for eight hours of sleep a night.
Taking care of your overall health is a great way to be proactive about your reproductive health. For more tips on maintaining good reproductive health, reach out to California Center for Reproductive Health.

Sexuality and reproductive health affect people throughout their lives. In adolescence and young adulthood, being proactive about lifestyle choices that affect reproductive health can have some impact on a couple’s ability to conceive. As people age, they go through life changes that give them a chance to redefine what role their sexuality plays in their lives. Once the childbearing years have passed, why should older people be concerned about their reproductive health?
A large number of older people continue to be sexually active well into their golden years and many feel it’s a way to create or maintain intimacy with a partner. The team at the Center for Reproductive Health aims to provide guidance on reproductive health care for people from adolescence through old age.

Hormonal Changes

Both men and women go through hormonal changes as they get older, and these changes can affect libido and the desire for intimacy. During and after menopause, women experience a wide variety of symptoms including hot flashes, irritability, and decreased vaginal lubrication. In some women, these changes can interfere with the amount of sexual pleasure they experience.
As men age, they experience reduced testosterone levels which may cause them to need more stimulation to attain an erection. Erectile dysfunction is common in older men and may be related to health problems, medications, or emotional health problems such as depression or anxiety, but there are treatment options that may help.

Protection From STIs

People frequently assume that older people no longer have sexual desires, and the topic of sexuality in old age is often considered taboo. It’s important for older people who are sexually active to understand that just because the chance of pregnancy has passed, the chance of contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI) still exists. Another thing to consider is that immune system function can decline with age and make people more susceptible to contracting infections including STIs.
Using condoms is just as important for older people as it is for young people. They should be used correctly and consistently as a tool for preventing the spread of chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, Hepatitis C, and other STIs. Older people should be familiar with symptoms that may indicate they have contracted an STI. Examples of these symptoms include discharge, lower abdominal pain, or painful urination.

Other Age-Related Changes

The body has several complex systems that work together for overall health. Poor lifestyle choices can affect the body in many different ways from energy level to libido. Many older people have health problems that affect their overall quality of life, such as heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis. When illness or chronic pain develops, it can affect sexual desire and the ability to have sex. Some people find that age-related changes make them feel less desirable.
Older adults need to have a safe place to discuss their sexuality and reproductive health. If you’re looking for a safe and supportive environment to discuss health concerns related to sex in your later years, don’t hesitate to reach out to The Center for Reproductive Health.

For anyone who’s thinking about getting pregnant, either in the near future or somewhere down the road, it’s never too early to start thinking about your reproductive health. Some factors are out of your control, but there are some things you can do to give yourself the best possible chance of starting a family. If you’ve never given any thought to how to improve reproductive health naturally, it’s a good time to get started.
The experts at the California Center for Reproductive Health understand that making good lifestyle choices isn’t always easy. Our team provides expert guidance to help people understand how to do what they can for their reproductive health.

Get Moving

Regular moderate exercise has a positive impact on your overall health, and it can also help improve the health of your reproductive system. This is true for both men and women. The key to making regular exercise a habit is to find an activity that you find enjoyable. If you hate jogging, that doesn’t mean you can’t lead an active lifestyle. Try swimming, dancing, or bicycling instead. If you’ve been leading a sedentary lifestyle, talk to your doctor about how to gradually increase your activity level.
While it’s important to include some exercise in your daily routine, over exercising can have the opposite effect. Very strenuous exercise can interfere with ovulation, so work on being physically active, but don’t overdo it.

Work Toward a Healthy Body Weight

Being either overweight or underweight can have an impact on hormones and fertility in both men and women. In women, when you’re not at a healthy weight, it can be hard to conceive, and if you do get pregnant, you’re at a higher risk of having complications or a miscarriage. Men who aren’t at a healthy body weight are more likely to have lower sperm count and lower semen volume.
If your body mass index is too high or too low it can also impact the effectiveness of some types of fertility treatment such as medication that induces ovulation. Women who lose as little as 5 to 10 percent of their body weight can improve their chances of getting pregnant and having a healthy pregnancy. Work on choosing nutritious foods and aim to get closer to a healthy body weight.

Kick Bad Habits

Most people know that some habits such as smoking or drinking excessively aren’t healthy but may not stop to think about the impact these habits may have on fertility. Smoking has a negative impact on hormone production. It can weaken sperm production in men and in women, and it can damage ovaries and eggs.
If you’re a smoker, kicking the habit is one of the best things you can do to improve reproductive health naturally. Another thing to consider is the impact alcohol can have on your reproductive health. Drinking excessively can make it more difficult to conceive and can be harmful to your overall health. Work on kicking bad habits like smoking and drinking to help improve reproductive health naturally.
For more tips on how to improve your reproductive health, get in touch with the experts at the Center for Reproductive Health.

The human body is made up of several systems that work together to produce and sustain life. The function of the reproductive system is the survival of the species, and it’s driven by hormones in both men and women. A healthy body and healthy mind require balanced hormones. Many factors can have an impact on reproductive health, and hormone surges or imbalances can have an impact on mood and emotions. How does the reproductive system contribute to mental health?
The experts at the Center for Reproductive Health work with people to help them understand the role hormones can play in mental health and how the reproductive system and mental health are intertwined.

Hormonal Fluctuations in Women and Mood
From the time you hit puberty up until and including the time you go through menopause, hormone changes can wreak havoc with your emotions. Some of the hormone fluctuations women experience include:
Puberty. Not many of us can forget the intense emotions experienced during puberty while hormone surges were just beginning to affect our bodies.
Menstruation and PMS. During child-bearing years, the menstrual cycle brings with it rises and falls of estrogen, and for many women, it also brings tension, irritability, mood swings, and depression.
Pregnancy. Big changes in hormone levels during pregnancy can affect brain chemicals that affect mood known as neurotransmitters.
Post-partum period. More hormonal changes happen after a baby is born which can throw some women into a deep depression.
Perimenopause. During this phase, your egg production dwindles, which causes many women to feel emotional and irritable.
Menopause. Hormones that affect serotonin, the brain chemical that makes you feel happy, take a nosedive at this stage and can lead to feelings of sadness or anxiousness.
Throughout each of these phases in a woman’s life, overall health plays a role. Being proactive about lifestyle choices can help to balance your hormones and may make hormone-related mood swings less severe.

How Do Hormone Imbalances Happen?
When hormones are out of balance, it can affect brain chemistry and mood, which can worsen existing mental health conditions. Hormone imbalances don’t only happen to women. Shifts in testosterone levels can cause reduced muscle mass and declining libido in men.
Hormone dysregulation has a definite impact on mental health, but how do hormone imbalances happen? Poor eating habits or a sedentary lifestyle can lead to being either overweight or underweight, both of which can affect the balance of hormones in your reproductive system. Health problems such as thyroid problems and diabetes can also affect your reproductive system and your mental health. Both an underactive thyroid and an overactive thyroid can cause anxiety.
Unhealthy habits like smoking and heavy consumption of alcohol or caffeine can affect the delicate balance of hormones in the body. One of the worst causes of hormone imbalances in both men and women is chronic stress. Stress can trigger a hormone imbalance, and in return, a hormone imbalance can trigger mood swings, sleep disturbances, and more stress. Take charge of your reproductive health and overall health by working with the experts at the Center for Reproductive Health today.

There are many factors that blend together to affect reproductive health. One of the most important factors is lifestyle choices such as exercising, eating right and avoiding smoking or vaping. As important as healthy habits are, they’re not the only factors that can affect reproductive health. Culture is another factor that can contribute to the health of your reproductive system. How does culture affect reproductive health?

Cultural and Sexuality

An individual’s beliefs about sexuality are formed based on what’s taught at home and in the community, which may include the neighborhood, the school and the church. Many of the choices people make are influenced by what’s socially acceptable in their culture. While this is true for people of all ages, cultural beliefs and attitudes can have an especially big impact on adolescents and young adults.
In adolescents, behavior that may be considered risky in some cultures is acceptable in others. For example, in Western cultures, behavior that may include underage drinking and sexual activity is often considered part of growing up.
Making the choice to have unprotected sex increases the risk of unplanned pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Impulsive decisions that are made during adolescence and early adulthood can lead to long-term consequences such as damage to reproductive organs and infertility.

Access to Healthcare

Within every culture, there are various sub-cultures that may be based on differences such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status or religion. Some of these sub-cultures may not have access to adequate healthcare or family planning information and may not have a clear understanding of why routine healthcare visits are important.
People may postpone seeking medical attention for cultural reasons, even when they’re experiencing symptoms that are concerning or out of the ordinary such as pelvic pain or changes in the menstrual cycle. Not having regular gynecological exams increases the risk of not being aware of having conditions like cervical cancer or pelvic inflammatory disease.

Lack of Accurate Information

In some cultures, it’s unacceptable to speak openly about sex or to ask questions. Without accurate information, it can be difficult or impossible to make smart choices about things that can affect reproductive health on a long-term basis. When a group of people don’t have the information they need to make good decisions, those who have contracted STIs or HIV don’t seek medical care. This means their illness isn’t diagnosed or treated and the risk of illnesses that are sexually transmitted quickly spreading increases.
It’s crucial for people to have the opportunity to obtain information on sexuality without fear of stigma or being condemned by their communities. Women who are pregnant need to have access to medical care throughout their pregnancy for the sake of their own health and the health of their child.
It’s important to be proactive about your overall health and your reproductive health. To make sure your reproductive system is as healthy as possible, call one of our offices at the Center for Reproductive Health to work with our experts on maintaining good reproductive health.

About 15% of couples have trouble conceiving. Male infertility plays a role in about 50% of these cases. Sometimes it’s the man and the woman who have infertility problems and sometimes it’s just the man.

At California Center for Reproductive Health, our specialists want to help you overcome fertility problems and grow your family. It’s important to us that you understand the nature of your infertility so you can take productive steps.

Knowing the myths and facts about male infertility helps you make smart choices. Being empowered with knowledge helps you make productive lifestyle changes and accept appropriate treatments to help you get the family you desire. Plus, you won’t waste your time and resentment on factors that are insignificant. Here’s what we want you to know about male infertility.

MYTH: A man’s fertility isn’t affected by age

TRUTH: Male fertility declines with age

Men do continue to produce sperm until death, but the quality and quantity of that sperm decreases as a man ages. When a man reaches the age of 35-40, the health of his sperm starts to decline. Beginning at 39, men’s fertility declines by about 23% each year.

Fertility declines can show up as:

• Poor sperm quality, including shape and motility
• Poor sperm concentration
• Low sperm counts

These factors affect pregnancy rates, the time it takes to conceive, miscarriage risk, and the baby’s health.

While it is possible for older men to father children, it’s not easy.

MYTH: Men don’t have to change their lifestyle to improve fertility

TRUTH: A man’s lifestyle matters to his fertility

When a woman is trying to conceive, she is encouraged to eat a healthy diet, to be physically active, to stop smoking, and quit drinking. These factors can negatively affect her fertility.

A man’s lifestyle also matters to the ability to conceive. Men who smoke have decreased sperm quality, lower sperm counts, and higher numbers of abnormally shaped sperm. Smoking also negatively affects the sperm’s motility.

Diet, sleep, and stress also affect sperm health and quality. So, as part of your fertility plan, we can help you transition to a more healthy lifestyle.

MYTH: Semen analysis gives answers about your fertility

FACT: Semen analysis is one part of your fertility workup

One of the first steps in determining why you and your partner are struggling to get pregnant is a semen analysis. While this test can reveal important factors, like the basic assessment of your semen volume along with sperm count, motility, concentration, and shape. But, a semen analysis can’t tell you that you’re infertile.

Men with poor semen analysis have been able to produce a natural pregnancy. It may take slightly longer, but some research concludes that there is “no clear relationship between the probability of conception and either the proportion of motile sperm or semen volume.”

Factors in your semen analysis can be changed, too, with lifestyle changes like quitting smoking, improving your diet, or taking certain supplements.

MYTH: If a man is diagnosed with infertility, you need a sperm donor

FACT: Male infertility can often be treated successfully

We offer many treatments for male-factor infertility before recommending a sperm donor. Intrauterine insemination (IUI), is a relatively simple treatment during which a sample of a man’s sperm is inserted directly into the uterus. This gives a couple a better chance of fertilization.

In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is another option to address male-factor infertility. During this procedure, we use a sample of sperm to fertilize an egg in a lab to create an embryo.

Other possible treatments include surgery or procedures to directly retrieve sperm from the testicles.

If you’re struggling with infertility, call one of our California Center for Reproductive Health offices in Encino, Valencia, or West Hollywood, or reach out via this website. We help men and women who want to optimize their fertility.