How Male Infertility and Stress are linked

Male Infertility forms 40% of the total infertility. The reasons are many, from low sperm count, immotile sperm to abnormal shaped sperm. For long infertility experts were advising to stop smoking, restrict alcohol intake, cut flab which were generic for the couple. Now there seems growing evidence that stress stands as an additional risk factor for both male and female infertility. Researchers had made a point that if you are strewed out your ‘nuts’ cannot produce enough ‘juice’. The research not only pointed out at the low quantity of sperm but also the quality of it. This was the first time that researchers drew proper subjective and objective measures to relate stress with male infertility. It was already a known fact that stress has huge contribution towards heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure, now male infertility is added to its list.
In a latest study which was published in the journal of Fertility and Sterility led by researchers from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York, NY, and Rutgers School of Public Health in Piscataway, NJ, the team investigated whether stress may affect sperm and semen quality. The researchers were able to draw conclusion that if a man has two or more stressful events in the past one year it adversely affects the quantity of the sperm and its morphology when compared to a man who had not stressful events.
There was no clear picture about the events that led to low sperm product and manufacturing of abnormal sperm morphology. Although it was known that stress releases glucocorticoids that affect the metabolism of carbohydrates, fat and protein which are essential to produce testosterone. So if the testosterone is lesser that would affect the production of sperm. The other known fact was about oxidative stress that fails to neutralize the free radicals which has been associated with poor semen quality and thus infertility. It also seems logical to conclude that the couple who fail to achieve the expected goal of reproduction will experience feelings of frustration and disappointment. This adds further to their stress and the cycle sets in. So do you blame it on Stress and keep worrying or act on it.
Hey boys, it is time to work towards a stress and worry free life.