Exercise boost for male fertility
Tuesday October 15th, 2013
Men who want to have children may benefit by keeping fit, researchers revealed last night.
The findings seem to confirm popular mythology that men are more fertile after strenuous activity.
Researchers are due to reveal a series of studies of factors that influence male fertility at the conference of the International Federation of Fertility Societies today.
Other studies suggest that coffee and alcohol do not affect fertility - measured by sperm count.
The conference is taking place in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, in conjunction with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Dr Rebecca Sokol, vice-president of the US society, said: "Helping men understand how their behaviour may impact their fertility is very important. These studies help us provide better information to our patients."
* Some five million children have now been born as a result of assisted reproductive technologies, the conference heard.
About half these children have been born in the last six years.
Richard Kennedy, a board member of the federation, said it was a "great medical success story."
He said: "The number of babies born through assisted reproduction technology is now about the same as the population of a US state such as Colorado, or a country such as Lebanon or Ireland."
* The conference has also heard that retrieving more than 15 eggs from a woman seeking to become pregnant may cause more harm than good.
Researchers said it led to increased risk of complications with a very small increase in successful births.
In some cases doctors have taken 25 or more eggs from women - and this has led to 41.8% of live births, according to a US study. But 6.8% of women suffered from ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.
In contrast retrieving between 10 and 15 eggs led to a 39.3% live birth rate and a 0.93% risk of complications.
Tags: Childbirth and Pregnancy | Fitness | Men's Health | North America | Women's Health & Gynaecology | World Health
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