Concerned about your guy? Our 1-minute male fertility test will tell you if he's at risk for male infertility.

Does masturbation affect male fertility? 

While masturbation is a part of normal human sexuality, when a couple is trying to get pregnant, a man may need to limit his masturbation and conserve the sperm stores for the fertilization of the egg.

What happens during masturbation?

A man needs to produce more sperm in order to refill the fertilization tank, so to speak, and that takes time. It takes up to 3 months for sperm to be produced. Ejaculation of semen lowers the sperm count available to fertilize the egg. For the man who masturbates more than once a day, the stores will consistently be lower than the man who does not masturbate.

Ejaculating multiple times a day decreases your sperm count.

To keep sperm counts higher, men need to conserve the ejaculations for intercourse. When the man allows sperm to build up in the semen rather than constantly depleting those stores, he will increase fertility.

Female masturbation may also play a role in infertility. When the female orgasm takes place, the cervix dips down to touch the end of the vagina. This dip is the body's way of naturally increasing fertility. However, when a woman masturbates during intercourse, if she achieves orgasm before her partner, the acids of the vagina may enter the cervix and decrease the amount of sperm available for fertilization of the egg.

How do you maintain a higher sperm count?

There are other ways for men to keep their sperm count high, including wearing loose-fitting underwear, refraining from overindulging in alcohol, and quitting smoking. The higher the sperm count in the body, the higher the chances that one of the sperm will make it to the egg to fertilize it before it absorbs into the lining of the uterus.

What tests gauge sperm count levels?

If a man feels they may have a lower than normal sperm count and this low sperm count is causing infertility, a sperm count test can be done to find out if there are any problems in the male reproductive system. The sperm count test requires collecting a semen sample.

What are some alternative methods for increasing sperm count?

When it comes to increasing the amount of sperm and the mobility of the sperm, there are natural methods that can greatly affect sperm quality and quantity. The first line of defense is the diet. Maintaining a healthy diet and taking a daily vitamin and mineral supplement can help increase the overall health of the body including sperm.

In recent studies, zinc supplementation when paired with folic acid can increase the quality of sperm produced. Doctors have long known the positive effects of folic acid on the fetus, but until lately have not known of a direct link between folic acid and sperm production.

Learn about our fertility diet, including foods to eat and foods to avoid to boost fertility. The basic fertility diet works for both men and women, and there are specific recommendations for men to help boost sperm count and to help prevent birth defects.

Maintaining healthy sperm and a high sperm count can be all the difference for fertility. With the cost of fertility treatments reaching thousands of dollars, it is sometimes best to first examine the natural ways to increase sperm quality and quantity. Masturbating less often and eating a healthy diet rich in zinc and folic acid are great steps toward achieving parenthood without any outside intervention.