Men who eat even a small amount of these foods have lower sperm concentrations.
Conventional wisdom holds that men should abstain from sex before their partners undergo in-vitro fertilization, since it's thought that abstinence elevates sperm levels. Now this theory has been turned upside down. Greening says he instructs couples seeking fertility advice to start by having more sex. "Some of the older men look a little concerned," he explained to The Associated Press. "But the younger ones seem quite happy about it."
Why does frequent sex reduce DNA damage in sperm? It gets sperm out of the testes quickly. AP notes that if sperm is in a man's body for too long, it has a higher chance of getting damaged. While other researchers think this study holds promise, they don't agree that it proves daily sex for men who have fertility problems will actually result in more babies. "Looking at sperm DNA is just one part of the puzzle," Bill Ledger, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Sheffield, who was not connected to the research, told AP. "Maybe this will improve pregnancy rates, but we still need to do more studies." He is concerned that telling couples who have fertility problems to have sex daily could be a major stressor in their relationship. "This may add even more anxiety and do more harm than good," he told AP.
Find out the one sex question men don't dare ask!
Greening gets the last word: "If you want to have a baby, our advice is to do it often." The research was announced at a meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Amsterdam.
