For men with fertility problems, some doctors are prescribing a very conventional way to have a baby: more sex.
In a study of 118 Australian men with damaged sperm, doctors found that patients having sex every day for a week significantly reduced the amount of DNA damage in their sperm.
Previous studies linked better sperm quality to higher pregnancy rates.
The research was outlined at a European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting in Amsterdam.
Dr David Greening, of Sydney IVF, a private fertility clinic in Australia, looked at 118 men who had damaged sperm. Greening and colleagues told the men to have sex daily for a week.
After seven days, the doctors found that in 81 percent of the men, there was a 12 percent decrease in the amount of damaged sperm.
Many fertility experts suggest men abstain from sex before their partners have in-vitro fertilisation, to try to elevate their sperm counts. Sperm quality can also be improved if men avoid cigarettes, drink moderately, exercise, or get more antioxidants.
Since the study, Greening instructs all couples seeking fertility advice to start by having more sex.
“Some of the older men look a little concerned,” he said. “But the younger ones seem quite happy about it.”
Experts think sex helps reduce the DNA damage in sperm by getting it out of the body quickly; if sperm is in the body too long, it has a higher chance of getting damaged.
Some experts said that while Greening's research was promising, it didn't prove daily sex for men with fertility problems would produce more babies.
Greening said he and his colleagues were still analysing the study data to determine how many women got pregnant.
Bill Ledger, a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Sheffield, who was not connected to the research, said: “Looking at sperm DNA is just one part of the puzzle. Maybe this will improve pregnancy rates, but we still need to do more studies.”
Ledger said instructing couples with infertility problems to have more sex could put stress on their relationship. Couples shouldn't feel pressured to adjust their sex lives.
Greening said the findings were ultimately very intuitive. “If you want to have a baby, our advice is to do it often.” - New Zealand Herald