In order to maximize sperm quality, men seeking to become fathers should have sex (or ejaculate) every day for a week before their partner ovulates.
This study, conducted by Australian fertility specialist David Greening involved 118 men whose sperm had a higher-than-normal level of DNA damage.
Before the test, about 34 percent of the group’s sperm was classified as “poor” in quality. The men were asked to ejaculate daily for seven days, but were not given any drugs or told to make any changes to lifestyle. After seven days, their sperm was examined again. The average of damaged sperm fell to 26 percent. Fourth-fifths of the men saw an increase in sperm quality, and many of them moved into the “good” range and out of the “poor” or “fair” categories.
However, one-fifth saw a decline in sperm quality.
Daily ejaculation not only boosted sperm quality for most of the men, it also helped sperm motility — another big factor in successful fertilisation — even though volumes of semen declined.
The research did not investigate whether the improvement in sperm quality led to better pregnancy rates. But previous work has shown that sperm that is less damaged and more mobile has a better chance of leading to a healthy baby.
These results may mean that men player a greater role in fertility than previously suspected, and that ejaculatory frequency is important for improving sperm quality.