Foods That Increase Male Fertility - Tips for Getting Pregnant

Certain foods can increase male fertility levels – and the sooner you consume these nutrients, the quicker you might get her pregnant! These tips for improve male fertility are from Chef MD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine by Dr John La Puma.

“Male infertility is any condition that interferes with a man’s ability to get a woman pregnant,” writes La Puma. He also says, “Stress has been show to decrease the quantity and motility of sperm – so [if you want to get a woman pregnant] meditate, do yoga, or relax with friends.”

For more tips on increasing male fertility, click The Male Biological Clock: The Startling News About Aging, Sexuality, and Fertility in Men. And read on for Dr La Puma’s foods that improve fertility, as well as foods to avoid…

Foods That Increase Male Fertility

If you’re a man who works with laptops, read Tips for Overcoming Male Infertility Caused by Laptops.

1. Lean beef, wheat germ, oysters, and dark-meat turkey. “These foods all have zinc, and a zinc deficiency can cause a decreased sperm count,” writes Dr La Puma. “Men put on a zinc-restricted diet of less than five milligrams daily for up to forty weeks had a decreased sperm count, but this normalized within twelve months when they ate zinc-rich foods.”

2. Foods high in Vitamin C. “They increase sperm count and motility, perhaps by reducing oxidative stress,” writes La Puma. “Infertile men given 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C twice a day had their sperm counts increase by an average of over 125%.” He also says this is “in theory only” – which means it hasn’t been proven scientifically.

3. Tomatoes and tomato-based foods. “Thirty men were given 2,000 micrograms of lycopene supplements twice a day for three months. Two-thirds had increased sperm counts by the end of the study. Free oxygen radicals are a major cause of male infertility, and lycopene squelches free radicals.” It’s the lycopene in tomatoes that does the trick – again, in theory only.

4. Organic foods. Men who are exposed to synthetic chemical pesticides show damaged sperm. It takes them longer to get a woman pregnant. To learn how organic foods can decrease the effects of pesticides, read How Antioxidants Work to Neutralize Free Radicals.

More Tips for Getting Pregnant — Foods to Avoid

Alcohol. Dr La Puma says that alcohol decreases sperm count and motility – and the more you drink, the more the sperm and motility decreases.

Coffee. “An Italian study showed that the more coffee men drank, the greater their risk of sperm that do not work. Even having just one cup a day has a negative effect,” writes La Puma.

Mercury-containing fish. Shark, swordfish, marlin, king mackerel, tile fish, and albacore tuna contain higher-than-normal amounts of mercury. If you’re coping with infertiity – whether you’re a man or a woman – avoid them.

For more info, read Tips for Overcoming Male Infertility.