Fathers Day...and Male Infertility

Today is Father's Day. Father's Day can be a tough day for many--those who have lost their dads, did not have the best father figure, etc. I personally have lost my father and for years really dreaded Father's Day. But I now can rejoice understanding that my incredible dad is in heaven, living a much better life than we can ever imagine. He stands with our God--our ultimate Father. My son, Grady, will point up to heaven and say "in heaven" when I ask where Papa Kerry is and it lights up my heart!

I am blessed with the most wonderful husband and daddy to Grady. Nothing makes me happier than to see him being a daddy and I try to soak up all of these moments that I can. I am forever grateful that we had the opportunity to become a mommy and daddy and you never know how many of these moments you will have here on earth. So soak them up and thank God daily!

My heart always goes out to those who are struggling to get pregnant on Mother's and Father's Day. I feel like women get more support than the guys when struggling to conceive--often because the guys don't talk about their feelings. I want whoever is reading this to know that if you are in this infertility journey---I am praying for you. I pray that your dreams come true one day for you to become a mommy or daddy! For you wives today, give your husband that extra hug and tell him and show him that you love him no matter what your infertility journey ends up looking like. God brought you two together to do good works and enjoy this life together--so try to focus on you as a couple a little more often than becoming parents (and I know this can be so hard!).

Male infertility accounts for about 20-30% of sole causes of infertility and about 50% of infertility cases overall. Semen analyses measure sperm count/concentration, motility, and morphology. The sperm count/concentration is the number of sperm per unit of volume of semen. The motility is the sperm's ability to move properly to the egg. The morphology is the percent of sperm that have a normal shape and appearance. There are ways to help improve sperm quality:

1) increase your antioxidants---think Vitamin C, Vitamin E, CoQ10, lycopene, anthocyanins, and l-carnitine

2) increase your intake of nutrients that directly effect sperm quality: zinc, selenium, Vitamin B12, and folate

3) reduce exposure to environmental toxins:

-BPA (thermal printed receipts; Keurig cups (made from plastic and are heated when running the water through to make coffee--therefore BPA is leaching into your coffee!). Switch out plastic containers with glass containers.

-phthalates (found in personal care products, fabric softeners, food containers, perfume, PVC materials, children's toys)

4) reduce alcohol, eliminate tobacco

5) increase fruit and vegetable consumption, seafood, poultry, whole grains, and low fat dairy products while decreasing red and processed meats, foods, and beverages with added sugars

Try to choose one of the above to work on to help improve your chances of conceiving.

Love and baby blessings!