How To Improve Declining Sperm Counts And Egg Quality

Today I'm welcoming Dr. Shanna Swan to the podcast.

We're digging into why male and female fertility is declining and what you can do to improve your egg/sperm health.

Shanna H. Swan, PhD, is an award-winning scientist based at Mt. Sinai and one of the world’s leading environmental and reproductive epidemiologists. Dr. Swan has published more than 200 scientific papers and has been featured in extensive media coverage around the world. Her appearances include ABC News, NBC Nightly News,60 Minutes, CBS News, PBS, BBC, PRI Radio, and NPR, as well as in leading magazines and newspapers, including Newsweek, The Washington Post, USA TODAY, Time, US News & World Report, The Guardian, Bloomberg News, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Daily News (New York), Los Angeles Times, HuffPost, Daily Mail (London), New Scientist, Mental Floss, Mother Jones, New Telegraph, Euronews, and the National Post.

At Fab Fertile HQ we talk about the importance of eliminating exposure to environmental toxins. This is crucial for both male and female fertility. A 2017 study from an environmental and reproductive epidemiologist, Dr. Shanna Swan has found:

Sperm counts have declined by more than 50% over the last 40 years. Current projections point to sperm counts reaching zero by 2045.

Plus the study found:

• Fertility rates are dropping by 1% each year.
• Miscarriage rates are increasing by 1% each year.
• Testosterone rates are decreasing by 1% each year.

We’ve been using each other and our unborn children as guinea pigs for endocrine-disrupting chemicals and this experiment is taking a toll on our reproductive health and the future of the human race.

This is a call to action and an urgent wake-up call. Learn how to protect yourself and avoid chemical exposure so that you can get pregnant naturally.

In this episode you’ll learn:

1) What is causing the decline of sperm counts

2) We discuss the 1% effect and the impact on both male and female fertility

3) Impact of environmental toxins on egg and sperm health

4) What we can do to protect our fertility and improve pregnancy success

TIMESTAMPS:

06:00- INTRO TO TODAY'S EPISODE AND DR. SHANNA SWAN’S BIO

06:45- DR. SHANNA SWAN’S PERSONAL STORY

• Variables she looked at in her research for possible reasons why sperm count was declining
• The Study for Future Families and what she found
• Environment's effect on semen quality
• How standard guidelines have fluctuated

14:11- CULTURAL EMPHASIS ON WOMEN’S FERTILITY AND NOT MEN’S

15:17- THE “ONE PERCENT” EFFECT”

• Declines are happening in both first world and third world countries
• “Reproductive health in men and women is deteriorating at about the same rate.”

17:53- GENDER BLURRING (MALE AND FEMALE LINES)

• Disorders of sexual development and what causes them
• The lack of research, data, and the difficulty in studying it in humans

23:15- HOW ALCOHOL, SMOKING ETC. EFFECTS YOUR EGGS

• “Things that are good for your heart health, and overall health, will be good for your egg health.”
• Smoking is hard on reproductive success
• How the parent’s (both mother and father) smoking can affect their son’s sperm
• “These lifestyle factors really matter.”
• Alcohol: binge drinking can reduce sperm count
• Moderating alcohol and exercise

29:20- DOES TYLENOL HAVE AN EFFECT ON SPERM?

29:46- ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS AND EPIGENETICS

32:38- DHP & VPA

• How genital development is affected
• The way chemicals are tested

37:12- PROTECTING YOURSELF AND INCREASING CHANCES OF PREGNANCY

• The importance of men focusing on their reproductive health as well
• The variety of things you can do to protect yourself

38:38- THE DIET’S PIECE IN SEMEN QUALITY

• “Pay attention to the foods that you eat”

41:07- HOW DUST CAN AFFECT YOUR FERTILITY

• How to avoid chemical and dust (and why you should)

42:12 DR. SHANNA SWAN’S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THINGS WE CAN DO

• Movie recommendation and the ask to use the hashtag: #CountMeIn
• The secrecy of fertility and the importance to talk about it
• “We are all in this together”

46:43- DR. SHANNA SWAN’S SUCCESS STORY

“If you can identify the risk factors and remove them from your life you can improve the situation.”

Resources:

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