I’ve not made it a secret amongst friends and family about my fertility issues. I’ve been completely open because I believe since there isn’t much knowledge about male infertility it’s important to have dialogue so we can research, learn, and discover.
When I learned from my doctor that I had some issues, I had two tests done 3 months apart from each other, and the results were pretty bleak. My stats were as follows: 7 million count (per cc), 7% motility, and 1% morphology. Those are pretty poor numbers. After about 5 months with some lifestyle changes, I’m happy to say that my most recent test I had done this week showed remarkable improvements. My most recent stats were: 24 million count, 40% motility, and 7% morphology. I believe these numbers are going to keep improving over time. I’ve decided to chronicle in this writing the changes I underwent.
I first spoke to two different doctors about the matter. One told us that IVF was going to be our only option. We decided that we wanted to explore alternative options; we wanted to see if we could figure out the problem and make my system more fertile naturally. My wife had recently had an unrelated medical issue and she sought help from a natropathic MD located in Kansas. After visiting with her, my wife was optimistic that she would be a good resource for helping us correct my fertility issues.
After a two and half hour talk with Dr. Johnson (try getting that with traditional treatment), she put me on a plan based on her assessment of me. Everybody is different, humans are not algorithmic she said to me once; I’m just detailing what has worked for me so far. The plan consisted of morning exercise, healthy diet, vitamins and herbs, acupuncture, and sufficient rest. Most of this seems like common sense, but it’s not what is offered or preached to most people when dealing with infertility, and this goes against the defacto American lifestyle.
I’ve always exercised inconsistently in the evenings. Dr. Johnson had me change my routine to be completed in the mornings at consistent times. I can’t express how much better I felt once I started exercising in the morning vs. the evening. A dumbed down explanation is that our cortisol levels are naturally high in the morning, so it’s beneficial to exercise while they’re spiked and letting them fall throughout the day naturally vs. spiking them again towards the end of the day. My exercise plan consisted of alternating mornings of 45 minute weight lifting sessions or 20 minutes of challenging interval cardiovascular exercise (running or stair climber). I also take evening walks as time would permit.
Diet was another important change. People think I’m extreme because what I eat, but it seems like common sense. I eat a healthy dose of fresh fruits and veggies every day. Every morning I enjoy a cup of green tea, protein shake, and pumpkins seeds. I have a plant protein shake with 1 cup of frozen blueberries, 2 tablespoons of flax meal, and 2 tablespoons of soy lecithin. I have this shake along with 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds. I then have one or two more servings of fruit throughout the morning with a tablespoon of flax meal (pears mostly). A typical lunch would be 4 oz of free range, pastured chicken (the meat I eat has been fed a natural healthy diet, you are what you eat, and so are the animals you eat, plus it’s more humane), a serving of whole grains like a 1/2 cup of quinoa, and a serving or two of vegetables, like eggplant cooked in olive oil. Throughout the day, I snack on vegetables, raw nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, etc (it’s important to pair your foods correctly). My dinner is almost identical to my lunch. So in summary, I get 2 to 3 servings of fruit, 5+ servings of vegetables, 8 oz. of healthy animal protein(pastured), 2 servings of whole grains, a few servings of nuts, seeds, beans, and enough reverse osmosis water to keep myself familiar with the bathroom (I do about 12 cups a day with added minerals/electrolytes). I try to buy the freshest food possible and organic when I can. I dropped dairy and foods that contain gluten all together. This was a big change for me, but I now notice the effects that dairy has on me when I have it from time to time (thicker mucus and I get some congestion).
Vitamins and Chinese herbs are another part of my daily routine. I take a high quality daily multivitamin, high quality fish oil, one pro-biotic called Bioflora, a fertility blend supplement, and 3 different Chinese herbs. Based on my body type and patterns, Dr. Johnson chose certain herbs to treat my deficiencies, so the necessary herbs vary per individual.
I’ve also been doing weekly acupuncture with Dr. Johnson. Once again, the treatments she gives are based on my particular body’s weaknesses, and it aims to correct those ailments. I’ve been getting acupuncture for once a week for the past 5 months.
And finally, the last change I made was my rest and sleep habits. I make sure that I get 8 hours of sleep every night. As a software engineer, I used to burn the midnight oil working on at home projects. I now make sure I’m in bed early enough to get my eight hours before my workout.
Once again, everyone is an individual with their own requirements. This writing has summarized in detail what I’ve been doing, and how it has helped me. As I continue my journey, I will keep writing about what I learn. I understand the stress and despair that fertility issues can bring. I hope my experiences are able to help people in some capacity. If all this sounds like something you want to explore, I highly recommend finding a good urologist/specialist AND a good natropathic MD (education in science, physiology, Chinese medicine, holistic approaches, etc). If you have any questions, I can be reached at allenriddle@gmail.com