A preponderance of the male population with high blood sugar levels tackle the problem of infertility in one stage of their lives. Only an insignificant amount of men would do anything about it.
Remedies For Male Infertility On Diabetes
The duration of a man’s diabetes plays a crucial role in how many problems he may experience with infertility. People would not talk much about it, but the inevitability of the problem shows the gravity of the issue.
Identifying the problem is the most difficult part here because of men being unpleasant speaking of reproductive health and hiding the condition for a very long time. This causes the delayed diagnosis of the problem and makes it difficult to treat them with full efficiency.
Root Of The Problem
- Pre-diabetes is a condition where the body could not process sugars properly. Blood sugar levels would be high in the body but not high enough to be called Type 2 diabetes. It can arise due to many reasons like Improper diet, lifestyle, lack of sleep, family history of diabetes.
- Type 2 Diabetes is a condition where the pancreas could no longer produce enough insulin to control blood sugar levels in the body.
How Diabetes Tamper With Male Sexual Health?
High amounts of blood sugar levels when left uncontrolled can cause nerve and blood vessel damage that increases the risk of several infections in the male genitalia. This can cause a series of problems in man’s life and we are going to discuss some common diabetic-related conditions here.
Men with diabetes are more linked to having the following conditions:
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Delayed Ejaculation
- Reduced sperm Quality and Count
- Retrograde Ejaculation
- Hypogonadism (Low Testosterone levels)
Erectile Dysfunction (ED)
Erectile Dysfunction is one of the most common problems faced. It is the inability of maintaining proper penile erections during intercourse. It is caused by nerve damage and low blood circulation through the male genitalia. Therefore the compromised flow of blood through the penis causes improper erections. This causes problems resulting in ED.
Reduced use of tobacco and controlled consumption of alcohol will reduce the severity of the problem. Also controlling blood sugar levels, Blood pressure and Cholesterol levels can ease the symptoms.
Delayed Ejaculation
The discharging of semen from a penis through its opening is called ejaculation.
The problems arise when there is an inability to ejaculate at the right time and the right moment or when there is a delay in the ending. This can be caused due to many factors.
It can be mostly mental, which is a psychological barrier that is all inside the head of the person and causes problems while ejaculating when they are with their partners. This leads to more stress and anxiety resulting in the elevation of the problem.
Reduced Sperm Quality and Count
Diabetes is linked with problems like reduced sperm count and quality. Research shows that sperm quality and count are significantly lower in patients with diabetes compared to non-diabetics. The less concentration of sperm in the vagina causes the inability to meet the egg and fertilize.
Such problems are less when there is control in the blood sugar levels.
Retrograde Ejaculation
Retrograde Ejaculation can be the result of autonomic neuropathy where the muscle spasms cannot work properly making it unable to close the opening of the bladder. This misleads the semen into the bladder causing low discharge through the penis. This affects the process of conception due to minimal discharge into the vagina.
Due to the low sperm amount sperm would be unable to cross the cervix, uterus and enter the fallopian tube for Fertilisation. In vitro can be done because sperm can be collected and zygote formation can be done externally.
Hypogonadism
Hypogonadism is a condition where the male body does not produce or produce a little amount of the male sex hormone testosterone which helps in the development of male characters and features.
Studies show high blood sugar levels in the body can cause hypogonadism. This results in low libido or sex drive.
How Can We Mitigate It?
To tackle these problems one should be devoted to health to better heal the body and mind. Numerous natural remedies and medications are there to prevent or mitigate such conditions from happening.
Physical & Natural Ways:
Regular Exercise And Sleep
Let us start with the most obvious one. Regular exercise prevents most illnesses such as infertility. It is not as simple as it sounds. Doing it for a long time takes a lot of effort. Consistency is the key to healing the body through exercise.
Lack of regular exercise can cause weight gain and results in obesity which paves way for a number of diseases. This includes diabetics too. Regular exercise helps the body control blood sugar levels to a very large extent by keeping the internal organs healthy.
Sleep is another factor that can cause many problems linked to health. An average sleep of 6-8 hours a day can limit many health-related problems like diabetes. Designing a well-oriented sleep routine is the best way to tackle diabetes and in turn infertility.
Reduced Use Of Alcohol And Quitting Smoking
Studies show that decreased sperm count is observed in people using large amounts of tobacco compared to people using lesser amounts.
Alcohol consumption is shown to reduce sperm count in many studies.
Controlling bad habits is a necessity while dealing with diabetes so that we can tackle it efficiently.
Foods
A proper healthy diet coupled with regular exercise can prevent most illnesses. Good fats from seeds and nuts and omega 3 fatty acids from fish should be encouraged. Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids are proven to be effective. Eating foods with high antioxidant content. Several antioxidants are shown to improve sperm count in men which are:
- Lutein
- Beta-carotene
- Vitamin C
- Beta-cryptoxanthin
Herbs like Shatavari, Shilajit, Safed Musli, ashwagandha, and fenugreek supplements can improve sperm health.
Proper amounts of calcium and vitamin D supplements show to influence sperm health in a good way.
Estrogen-rich foods are shown to decrease the quality of sperm. Limiting carbohydrates and fat intake can take you a long way in your diabetic journey.
A proper idea of what to take and what not to take can reflect a lot on your diabetic health.
Avoid Stress & Anxiety
Healthy uninterrupted sleep, meditation for the mind, and avoiding alcohol before bedtime can reduce stress to a very large extent.
Medications
Consulting a doctor and a physician to plan a proper intake of medicines and foods can help cope with infertility caused by diabetics.
Medicines like Viagra and Cialis are proven to be effective in the treatment of ED.
Having an idea of the medicines which we should avoid like certain antibiotics, antidepressants, anti-androgens, opiates will help avoid complications.
Conclusion
Type 2 diabetes is the inability of the body to control blood sugar levels which gives rise to physical conditions like ED, hypogonadism. Several methods are there to treat the conditions effectively like proper sleep, diet, regular exercise, avoiding the use of alcohol and tobacco, avoiding stress, and diabetic-friendly medications.
To treat infertility caused by diabetics, the majority of the research and studies support natural and physical ways of mitigation, which is more friendly to the human body.
Health is wealth and a healthy mind resides in a healthy body. It is evident that taking care of the body is the best way to prevent diabetic-related infertility.
