Sex every day 'improves chances of being a parent'
Sex every day 'improves chances of being a parent'
Also In The News
|
Yorkshire batsman Michael Vaughan has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket with immediate effect at Edgbaston today. |  |
Wednesday, 01, Jul 2009 11:42
Having sex every day can help improve the genetic quality of a man's sperm and could increase his chances of becoming a father, new research has claimed.
Usually couples trying for a baby are advised to have sex every other day, to allow the man's sperm count time to recover.
However, scientists in Australia claim this may in fact lower some men's fertility.
The new research, presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference in Amsterdam earlier this week, suggests that while not having sex for a few days can improve sperm count, the quality of sperm can in fact be damaged if a man ejaculates too infrequently.
Australia scientists at a Sydney infertility treatment centre claim to have found that daily sex over a seven-day period significantly improves sperm quality without the lowered count having any effect on fertility.
David Greening, who led the research, carried out tests on 118 men with high levels of DNA damage in their sperm.
He found in 81 per cent of the men, daily ejaculation reduced damage by an average of 12 per cent.
Experts claim the research could change advice on providing sample for IVF treatment.
At present men are told to abstain from ejaculation three days before providing samples.
Researchers now suggest that although the longer sperm sits in the epididymis – at the top of the testicle – the greater their number, it actually also leads to greater genetic damage through exposure to heat and oxygen-free radicals.