I need to be very clear that sperm are one thing and semen is another. Sperm are the tadpole-like cells that have a body, head, and tail and carry a man’s genetic makeup. Semen is the fluid that transports them. It’s usually full of nutrients and lubricants.

Almost everyone thinks that semen is clear and sperm are white, and that’s why the whiter the semen, the more sperm it contains. After all, whenever we see videos or animations of sperm, they’re drawn white, but it’s actually the other way around. Sperm are clear, and semen is usually white, although it can also be clear, grayish, or other colors.

If you’re interested in learning more, I recommend watching our video about the color of healthy semen. In the meantime, in short, this myth is false. Clear semen can actually cause pregnancy.

Yes, that’s right. Diabetes affects fertility in both men and women, but it’s much more noticeable in men due to three distinct factors.

• First, semen becomes stickier, denser, and clotted, making it very difficult for sperm to move.
• Second, blood vessels weaken, so the reproductive organs receive less blood, which can lead to erection problems.
• Third, we have oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when the body has too many free radicals and too few antioxidants. This imbalance produces problems very similar to those caused by nuclear radiation, but on a smaller scale. This oxidation kills many sperm, deforms others, and even destroys parts of the DNA they carry.

This myth is very popular, but it’s false. At least for the vast majority of men, the answer is no, cycling does not cause infertility. Exercising is always good for your health.

There are very few, and very specific, cases in which it does affect you. We’re talking about men who already have an anatomical problem producing and expelling sperm and who also cycle excessively, almost daily for several hours, accumulating heat and friction in their testicles. And if we add to that the fact that they take steroids or other substances to improve their athletic performance, well, yes, those extremely extreme cases can lead to infertility, but the same could be said for other disciplines with competitors who will do anything to win without regard for their overall health.

In theory, yes, but the truth is, no. Let me explain.

Women are born with a certain number of eggs and no longer produce any. When they reach menopause, it’s usually because they’ve run out of eggs. Meanwhile, it’s true that men produce new sperm from puberty until they die, but the highest quantity and best quality of sperm are produced between the ages of 15 and 45. After 50, they produce at most 20% of what they did when they were younger; by the time they reach 75, production is almost zero.

Using a microscope, we can find sperm, and perhaps some of them could be used for in vitro fertilization. So, technically, a man is still fertile, but in reality, advanced fertility treatments are needed to achieve pregnancy.

This myth is false. Vasectomy reversals typically have a 70% to 90% success rate.

However, in fertility clinics, we perform far more in vitro fertilization with sperm extraction than vasectomy reversals. Why? Because these are usually couples who just want one more child. Therefore, there’s no point in reversing the vasectomy, waiting a few months or years trying to get pregnant, and then doing the vasectomy again. The most practical and safest option is in vitro fertilization.

Vasectomy reversals are not a myth; they’re very real. They can be done, although they’re usually not the most practical option.

No, masturbation does not affect fertility. Well, in very extreme cases, it can reduce the number of mature sperm released during sexual intercourse.

Therefore, if you are trying to conceive, it would be ideal not to masturbate during a woman’s most fertile days. With one or two days of abstinence, the quantity and quality of mature sperm reaches its maximum. Abstinence for longer periods will not improve sperm quality, and having masturbated even excessively in the past will not affect sperm production in the future.

In fact, ejaculating regularly strengthens or exercises the prostate and is the best way to prevent prostate cancer in the future, so masturbating is beneficial in the long run.

At this point, I want to be a little careful to explain myself clearly. Improving semen doesn’t mean improving sperm.

I say this because I’ve had patients come to me who want to improve their semen, and when I start talking to them about vitamins and supplements to improve sperm health, they ask if that will increase the volume and color of their semen. I explain that semen volume and color are not directly related to sperm quantity and quality, but many are still concerned about increasing the volume they produce.

For these cases, my recommendation is not to worry too much about finding supplements. The best way to increase volume is to drink plenty of water. The best way to achieve a whiter, more intense color is to drink plenty of milk and consume dairy products. And the best way to achieve a strong ejaculation is to exercise regularly.

So don’t look for supplements, improve your habits.

This myth is false. We see many patients who underwent a semen analysis and, because no sperm was found, were told they would never be able to have children.

It’s extremely rare for a man not to produce sperm. Most often, the testicles are full of sperm, but they get stuck in the epididymis, the vas deferens, or are expelled retrogradely into the bladder. Simple changes in diet and lifestyle can get a man to expel sperm again.

And for more complicated cases, we can use a type of needle to extract sperm directly from the testicle. I encourage you to come to Creafam, but if for some reason you decide to have sperm extracted at another clinic, please request that samples be taken from both testicles, because we’ve had cases where one testicle is full of sperm, while the other has almost no sperm.

Thank you so much for joining me on the 10 myths about male fertility. If you have time, I recommend watching Dr. Valdés’ video on the 10 myths about female fertility. And if you have any other questions or I forgot to explain anything, please leave them in the comments or schedule a virtual consultation.