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You may feel like “the more the merrier” when it comes to masturbation and ejaculation. But does ejaculating multiple times reduce sperm count or affect your fertility?
The main takeaway is while sperm count may reduce with each ejaculate, other sperm parameters remain unchanged. So, overall, it doesn’t really make a significant difference. It may even surprise you to know that long periods of abstinence can do more harm than good!
Keep reading this article to know what the science says, plus lifestyle factors you can implement to improve your sperm health. First, let’s take a look at normal sperm parameters.
What are normal sperm parameters?
Like most people, you may associate sperm health with a high sperm count. But there’s more to sperm health than sperm count!
Other parameters are equally as important. You can get these checked by getting a semen analysis done at a laboratory or doctor’s office.
Take a look at this table that details the other parameters that affect sperm health and the normal value for each:
Does ejaculating multiple times reduce sperm count?
This is the million-dollar question, isn’t it?
Here is what we know.
Studies show frequent ejaculation causes a temporary reduction in sperm count. Is this something to be concerned about?
Not really because other sperm parameters that affect sperm quality remain unchanged.
In fact, periods of abstinence can lead to oxidative stress which negatively affects sperm quality.
Let’s take a look at the following studies to understand this better:
As you can see, while sperm count can temporarily increase during periods of abstinence, sperm quality may decrease. This “backing up” of sperm is can cause oxidative stress which can negatively affect sperm parameters.
So, for those wondering, “Does masturbation cause low sperm count?”, it’s safe to say that masturbation and ejaculation do not negatively affect a man’s fertility.
Now let’s look at some factors that are actually shown to reduce sperm count.
Factors that reduce sperm count
- Varicocele
A varicocele is an enlargement of the veins in the testicles and is speculated to be one of the leading reasons behind male infertility.
Varicoceles decrease the integrity of sperm DNA which often results in:
- Abnormal shape and size
- Reduced sperm count
- Reduced viability
- Reduced motility
- Hypogonadism
This is a condition where the testicles produce little or no hormones. Sperm production is hindered due to low testosterone levels.
- Infections
Sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia, gonorrhea, etc. can cause damage and inflammation to the male reproductive system. This can negatively affect the creation of testosterone and sperm, damage sperm DNA and alter sperm size, shape, and motility.
- Thyroid dysfunction
Thyroid dysfunction (both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism) can negatively affect sperm volume, density, motility, and morphology.
These negative effects occur because the thyroid hormone directly impacts the function of the testis. Too much or too little thyroid hormone can cause sperm abnormalities.
- Lifestyle factors
There may be a few misconceptions out there, like wearing briefs can negatively affect sperm production. But there are lifestyle factors that can negatively affect sperm. These include:
- Obesity
- Strenuous physical labor
- High blood pressure
- Substance use, alcohol use, and illegal drug use
- Body-building medications
- Environmental pollutants
- Radiation therapy
Reduce your exposure to harmful substances and practice healthy lifestyle habits to avoid negative effects on your sperm quality. Sperm takes 64 days to regenerate, so you could improve your sperm health in about 2-3 months!
Know More: Semen Health: How To Produce More Sperm?
How frequently should I have sex to get pregnant?
For the best chance of pregnancy, you should have sexual intercourse multiple times during your fertile window.
This includes the 4 days before, the day of, and the day after ovulation. Having sex every day or every other day during this window will give you the highest chance of getting pregnant.
One study showed couples who have sex every day in the fertile window have a 22% chance of conceiving. In comparison, couples who have sex every day have a 25% chance of conceiving. There is not a significant difference between the two groups. You may be happy to know that more sex will not reduce sperm count, so there is no potential harm in ejaculating more!
Know More: Is Having Sex Everyday Bad When Trying to Conceive?
Although sex during the fertile window provides the highest chance of getting pregnant, don’t shy away from sex throughout the month.
Not only is sex an important part of intimacy, but sex also primes a woman’s immune system to promote pregnancy.
Sperm is seen as an outside invader and can be mistaken as a threat to a woman’s body. Helper T cells, which are one of the most important cells of the immune system, will eliminate sperm because of this. This doesn’t fair well if a woman is trying to get pregnant!
However, when a woman has sex throughout her cycle, the amount of helper T cells that attack sperm is reduced. This means more sperm will skate past the immune system in an attempt to fertilize a mature egg.
Key Takeaways:
- Studies show that semen volume and sperm count slightly decrease with daily ejaculation. But other parameters are unaffected.
- In fact, while long periods of abstinence can increase semen concentration, they ultimately decrease the quality of sperm.
- Factors that actually affect sperm count include varicoceles, hypogonadism, infections, thyroid dysfunction, and lifestyle factors.
- Practicing a healthy lifestyle while avoiding toxic substances can improve the health of your sperm.
- For the highest chance of pregnancy, have sex every day or every other day during a woman’s fertile window.
- Masturbation is a natural part of sexual expression and does not negatively affect a man’s overall fertility.
FAQs
It takes around 64 days to replenish your sperm supply. If you want to improve your sperm health, the lifestyle changes you make today can take about 3 months to take effect.
Masturbation alone will not cause a low sperm count. Multiple ejaculations may temporarily reduce sperm count but it will not reduce the quality of your sperm or your fertility. In fact, long periods of abstinence may actually damage your sperm.
There is no recommendation for how many times a man should ejaculate each week. This will largely depend on personal preference. Multiple ejaculations may temporarily reduce sperm count and semen volume but sperm quality will not decrease. In fact, frequent ejaculation may prevent oxidative stress, positively impacting fertility.
The volume of the second ejaculate will be less than the first. However, studies show sperm count does not change significantly and the quality of the sperm is not reduced. In fact, one study conducted amongst men suffering from infertility found that pooling two ejaculates can increase the quality of their sperm.
Varicocoele, infections, thyroid dysfunction, testicular injury, hormonal imbalances, or lifestyle factors can cause low sperm count.
One ejaculation can contain up to 80-300 million sperm. However, the testes constantly produce new sperm so millions of new sperm are created after ejaculation.
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