Why Focusing On The Whole Body Helps To Improve Sperm Quality

Dr. Tracy Gapin joins us today as we’re digging into how to optimize male fertility so that you can get pregnant naturally.

For many men setting up a consult with a doctor or an urologist is the hardest part of the fertility process.

I’ve spoken with so many couples that are struggling with infertility and many tell me that the male partner has not even been examined or received a semen analysis – while the female partner has undergone extensive testing.

This is not to blame the man. Similar to how women may feel that femininity is wrapped up in motherhood. Men may feel emasculated and experience guilt, shame, and low self-worth when they are on the fertility journey.

As you learned last week sperm counts have dropped by more than 50% over the past 40 years.

It is essential that the male partner fully participates in the process as you prepare for pregnancy success.

That’s why our proven Fab Fertile Method includes the partner.

As is the case with egg health – it is important not to myopically focus on semen quality – but to look at the healing opportunities in the whole body – because improving overall health positively impacts the health of the sperm.

I’m excited to welcome Dr. Tracy Gapin MD, FACS is a board-certified urologist, world-renowned men’s health & performance expert, best-selling author, and professional speaker.

In this episode you'll learn:

1) Common themes with male fertility from a urologist so you don’t miss crucial healing opportunities

2) Getting to the bottom of hormonal imbalance and low testosterone and why testosterone therapy is a band-aid approach.

3) How to check for a Varicocele. How effective is a vasectomy reversal? What to do if there is no sperm can this be improved?

4) Addressing gut health, environmental toxins exposure, nutrition, epigenetics, mindset, stress, and more so that semen quality can be restored.

FREE copy of Dr. Gapin's book - Male 2.0 - drtracygapin.com/limitless

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TIMESTAMPS:

05:01- INTRO TO TODAY'S EPISODE AND DR. TRACY GAPIN’S BIO

06:13- DR. GAPIN’S JOURNEY AND WHY HE DOES THIS WORK

• “The disease model that I’d been in was insufficient.”

07:54- COMMON THEMES WITH MALE FACTOR INFERTILITY

• Why he believes this is a men’s health pandemic
• Testosterone has dropped 30-40%
• Fertility has dropped over 50%
• Sperm count has dropped 60%
• Why he believes our society will be infertile by the year 2040 if something doesn’t change
• He is seeing young men coming in without sperm

10:49- TOP TESTS HE RECOMMENDS

• Systems based approach to health & the M.A.L.E. framework

14:15- DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPERM COUNT, MOTILITY, MORPHOLOGY 

15:10- WHY WOULD THERE BE DEBREE IN A SEMEN SAMPLE?

15:40- DNA FRAGMENTATION?

16:20- HORMONAL IMBALANCE AND LOW TESTOSTERONE

• Symptoms and causes
• Low testosterone is not just about sex
• Testosterone is important for bone health, cognitive function, energy level, etc
• “When we look at a guy with low testosterone, it’s not just libedo, it’s not just sex, it’s really about his life.”

18:53- THE M.A.L.E FRAMEWORK

• Mindset: stress resilience, mindfulness, and meditation
• “Mindset is first and foremost”
• Aging: we now know that we can reverse aging, cellular function, the way our body creates proteins, etc
• Lifestyle: nutrition, not only what he eats but when he eats, sleep patterns, etc
• Environment: toxins, gut health, detoxifications, etc.
• Optimizing testosterone (without giving testosterone)

22:33 WHAT ABOUT MEN WHO STRUGGLE WITH MINDFULNESS/MINDSET?

• App and meditation recommendations

24:20- WHY HE RECOMMENDS WEARABLE TECH: WHY TRACK SLEEP?

• The importance of sleep quantity and quality
• What does snoring mean? Is it a symptom of something?
• Sleep studies and what to expect 
• EMFs? Should we be concerned?

30:30- ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS- HOW THEY AFFECT MEN

• The studies that show the effect toxins have on our health and the poor regulation in the west
• “Men need to be eating grass-fed meets”
• “Be aware of the source of your food.”
• Personal care products, plastic food containers, and other things that are contaminating us
• “It’s a scary problem that is not getting the attention it deserves”
• Small, simple things we can do to minimize exposure

36:41- WHEN WOULD WE USE TESTOSTERONE- REPLACEMENT THERAPY?

• How this treatment can affect your body and how it can actually affect sperm production
• Why he does not recommend giving testosterone, men who have completely lost their sperm as a result, and exploring if the effects are reversible
• Other ways to increase testosterone (that won’t signal the brain to stop producing sperm)
• How long should someone be on clomid?
• “You will not see dramatic results with fertility overnight.”
• “Men need estrogen.”

43:30- WHAT ABOUT MEDICATIONS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS?

44:07- VARICOCELE- HOW OFTEN IS THAT MISSED? WHAT DO WE DO?

• What is varicocele? What are we looking for?
• Can it affect sperm function? How common are they?
• What are the treatment options?

46:53- VASECTOMY REVERSAL- HOW EFFECTIVE ARE THEY?

47:53- DR. GAPIN’S RECOMMENDATIONS

48:24- DR. GAPIN’S SUCCESS STORY

49:00- DR. GAPIN’S FREE BOOK OFFER

• “We really need to change our approach to men’s health- it needs to be personalized.”

49:45- FINAL THOUGHTS: PEPTIDES

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Book your Free Supercharge Your Fertility Discovery Call here: https://intakeq.com/booking/cZ7XW6

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Sponsored by Fab Fertile Store. Ensure your preconception supplements are free from dyes, filler, and top allergens. Check out our basic recommendations that are essential for preconception health. Visit https://www.fabfertilestore.com/

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Got questions?  Join the Fab Fertile Support Group for motivation, support, and education so that you can prepare for pregnancy success.

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Connect with Sarah on social media and learn more about functional fertility solutions that will help you have your baby.

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Related Episodes:

Functional Medicine 101 - https://www.fabfertile.com/blog/functional-medicine-101-and-your-fertility/

How To Improve Low Sperm Count, Motility and DNA Fragmentation - https://www.fabfertile.com/blog/how-to-improve-low-sperm-count-motility-and-dna-fragmentation/

Three Reasons Why Your IVF May Have Failed - https://www.fabfertile.com/blog/3-reasons-why-your-ivf-might-have-failed/