More often than not when we think about fertility, we immediately start thinking about women. Yes, we are the ones who have menstrual cycles and get pregnant and grow babies, but if it wasn’t for male sperm pregnancy would never be possible. And if a couple is struggling to conceive, it’s about an even 50-50 split about whether it is a male or female cause.

In this episode, we’re talking about what makes up an individual sperm cell; how the male reproductive system works to maximise chances of fertilising a female egg and we’re also talking about sperm count – how this is actually measured, how it’s changed over the past 100 years and some advice for couples who are trying to conceive with potentially low sperm counts.

Pre-conception care is not just for women, your baby begins with 50% egg and 50% sperm, so sperm health is equally as important as egg health for fertilisation and development of a healthy baby. It takes three months for sperm to develop and mature before they are capable of fertilising an egg, so preparation should start at least three months before trying to conceive. This can ensure sperm is high quality and viable and gives the best chance of fertilising the egg.

Once pregnancy is confirmed, the hard part’s over for the man and the woman has to keep up her good habits for another 9 months. So if your man is struggling to stick to healthy habits, remind him it’s only for 3 months! But of course, if he sticks with them, there are long-term health benefits too.

In this episode, I’m giving you my 10 top tips for males to prepare for pregnancy.