Obesity in men significantly affects sperm quality

When men are obese, this reduces the likelihood of pregnancy
When couples want to have a child, women often try to change their lifestyle to improve their chances of a successful pregnancy. Maybe those affected should pay more attention to the men. Because the health of men has an extremely high impact on the likelihood of pregnancy. For example, when men are obese, the quality of the sperm is severely impaired.

Researchers at the Center for Assisted Reproduction at the Krishna IVF Clinic in India found in their study that obesity in men leads to decreased sperm quality, which makes pregnancy more difficult. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Andologia".

The number of obese men in Germany continues to increase. Physicians have now found that obesity in men reduces the quality of semen. (Image: MartesiaBezuidenhout / fotolia.com)

Physicians should check the weight of the fathers prior to assisted reproduction
The current study first analyzed abnormal sperm parameters in overweight men. The study was based on a computer-aided sperm analysis. The findings suggest that physicians should consider future paternal obesity as an important factor in initiating pregnancy, even before assisted reproduction is performed, the experts explain.

Scientists are examining nearly 1,300 male volunteers
A total of 1,285 men were examined for the study. The experts found that obese men had less sperm, lower sperm concentration and sperm motility. In addition, increased defects were observed on the sperm.

Infertile men should check their weight
The health and reproductive ability of spermatozoa in overweight men are qualitatively and quantitatively compromised, explains the author. Godumukkala Ramaraju. The results from our current dataset suggest that future efforts to treat infertility should initially focus on male weight loss.

Overweight can affect fertility in women
Earlier research had already shown that being overweight can affect women's fertility by disrupting the delicate balance of hormones, which affects ovulation and fertilization, the researchers say. Overweight women also have a higher incidence of menstrual disorders and so-called anovulation (lack of ovulation).

Think about a change in diet before a planned pregnancy
If overweight couples have been trying to get offspring for a long time, you might want to consider switching your diet and replacing unhealthy foods that lead to weight gain with healthy foods, the doctors advise. Eating less French fries but more vegetables could make a big difference when it comes to getting pregnant. (As)