It\u2019s just like coach used to say: practice makes perfect. Recent research suggests that regular masturbation and\/or sex can boost men\u2019s fertility.<\/p>\n
Scientists in the UK examined the medical literature on how the storage of sperm can affect its quality. In studies of both humans and other animals, they found that sexual abstinence can modestly degrade the health of sperm cells. Jokes aside, the findings could improve animal breeding programs and possibly even help out male fertility clinic patients, the researchers say.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese have important implications for fertility clinics, sperm selection, captive breeding, and understanding evolved adaptations that mitigate stored-sperm deterioration,\u201d they wrote in their paper, published<\/a> Wednesday in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.<\/p>\n Use it or lose it <\/p>\n Men and males of many other animals store a continuous supply of mature sperm in their bodies. This strategy has clear evolutionary advantages. Some female animals, for instance, can hold onto previously deposited sperm for long periods, allowing them to delay fertilization until they have enough resources to better ensure the survival of their offspring.<\/p>\n At the same time, many types of cells will steadily lose their functioning the longer they\u2019re around. According to the study researchers, however, there\u2019s been relatively little focus on how exactly the duration of stored sperm could impact their health. So they analyzed nearly 150 studies relevant to the topic. Most of the studies (115) involved human men, while the remaining 56 studies involved 30 other species.<\/p>\n Overall, they found consistent evidence that abstinence increases oxidative stress and DNA damage in human sperm cells, as well as reducing their viability and motility (their ability to swim). They found a similar reduction in sperm performance for non-human animals (male and female).<\/p>\n \u201cIn men, the negative effects we found on sperm DNA damage and oxidative damage were large-ish, so we are confident that this is a biologically meaningful and important effect,\u201d lead author Krish Sanghvi, a biologist at the University at Oxford, told<\/a> the Guardian.<\/p>\n What this means for male fertility <\/p>\n The researchers didn\u2019t find clear evidence that abstinence can directly affect a couple\u2019s fertilization rate, but a recent clinical trial in China published<\/a> last December did. It showed that couples were more likely to have a successful in vitro fertilization if the men had ejaculated within 48 hours before dropping off their sperm, compared to men who were told to abstain the typical two to seven days.<\/p>\n Male abstinence could still have its place in IVF treatment, especially for measuring a man\u2019s baseline fertility. But it might be time to reassess the strategy in general, at least for some couples, the researchers argue.<\/p>\n \u201cIf sperm quantity is the only thing that matters for a clinic or couple, then sexual abstinence is not necessarily a bad thing,\u201d Sanghvi said. \u201cBut usually fertilization success will be determined not only by how many sperm there are but the quality of the sperm too, for example in IVF.\u201d<\/p>\n