Having regular sex can boost sperm quality, Oxford University researchers find
Topics: News, Health, Sex and Relationships
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: Getty stock image
Topics: News, Health, Sex and Relationships
A new study has claimed that there is a link between how often a man ejaculates and the quality of his sperm.
A study from a research team at the University of Oxford has argued that there is a link between how much a man has sex or ejaculates.
Ultimately, concluding that those that have more sex or ejaculate more often are able to produce better quality sperm.
Abstaining from sex or masturbation was associated with increased DNA damage and oxidative stress, as well as reduced sperm mobility and viability, according to the study.
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As a result, this lowered fertilization success rates and led to decreased embryo quality, according to the team.
They also found that sperm which is ‘stored’ would deteriorate rapidly, regardless of the age of the male.
Co–lead author Dr Rebecca Dean, from the University of Oxford spoke about the team’s findings and explained the science behind it.
She said: “Because sperm are highly mobile and have minimal cytoplasm, they quickly exhaust their stored energy reserves and have limited capacity for repair.
“This makes storage particularly damaging compared to other types of cells. Our study highlights how regular ejaculation can provide a small but meaningful boost to male fertility.”
For their study the team carried out a major analysis of previous research, including 115 human studies involving nearly 55,000 men. They also analysed 56 studies across 30 non–human species.
Lead author Dr Krish Sanghvi said: “Ejaculates should be viewed as populations of individual sperm which undergo birth, death, ageing and selective mortality.”
Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines typically recommend two to seven days of abstinence before taking semen samples for assisted reproduction.
However, the team has warned, based on their findings that the upper limit of seven days in the guideline may be too long.
These findings come as there is an increased interest in male fertility and infertility.
Almost one in seven couples suffer with infertility, which is defined as having not been able to conceive despite having frequent and unprotected sex for at least a year.
Doctor Bobby Najari has said one condition may be the ‘most common cause of infertility’ in two out of five of these couples.
Writing for the New York Post, the doctor explained that the most common cause of male infertility is a varicocele, which are swollen veins in the scrotum.
The veins can lower sperm production, as well as movement, which can have a direct impact on fertility.