Healthy parents tend to produce healthy babies. And healthy babies, in general, grow into healthy children and adults. Much emphasis is given to the importance of a woman’s health and nutritional status before and during pregnancy. But her male partner plays an equally crucial role at conception. The creation of a healthy baby requires not just a healthy egg but a good supply of properly formed mobile sperm as well.
Over the past few years we have seen an increase in the number of men with low sperm counts. Recent research suggests that of the one in four couples who take longer than the average to conceive, the cause, in around one-third of cases, lies with the male partner.
Other research has indicated that up to eighty percent of birth defects are caused by defective male sperm. And it is now known that the cause of a Down’s syndrome baby may also lie with either the mother or the father.
But don't worry - there is a lot that can be done simply by making changes in nutrition and lifestyle. Poor sperm health, whether it be a low count, poor motility or malformations, can generally be improved by optimising the father’s overall health and nutritional status. But it is sensible to start this process as soon as possible. Sperm take ten weeks to develop sufficiently to leave the body, so planning for a pregnancy should start at least four months before conception takes place. That means giving up smoking, alcohol and social/recreational drugs, checking for genito-urinary infections, avoiding hot baths and tight clothing, eating healthily and taking supplementation , when necessary, to help redress nutritional imbalances.
Vitamen is a premium multivitamin and multi-mineral supplement. It contains essential nutrients needed to prepare for conception and produce healthy sperm.