Sperm Isn't Just A Carrier Of DNA: Expert Shares How It Impacts Fertility And Pregnancy Outcomes

Trying to conceive? Nutritionist Rashi Chowdhary reveals that the responsibility for fertility and a child's health does not solely lie with the mother. Instead, she highlights the importance of the man's health, including his diet, supplements, hormones and work pressure. Highlighting the ordeal a woman usually faces when pregnancy fails – leading to “More questions. More tests. Multiple gynaec visits. More things for her to fix,” – she mentions alongside a video posted on Instagram, “Somewhere along the way, the assumption becomes quiet but clear. If a woman isn't able to conceive, it must be her fault.”

However, the nutritionist clarifies, “Fertility was never meant to sit on one body alone. Men are rarely investigated with the same urgency. Rarely asked about stress, sleep, inflammation, blood sugar, or lifestyle. Rarely told that their health could be shaping pregnancy outcomes too.”

How Men's Health Leads To Poor Nutrient Transfer To The Baby

Rashi Chowdhary elaborates, “Sperm isn't just a carrier of DNA. It carries information from the last few months of a man's life. This is where the idea of the zero trimester matters.”

The health expert further says, “You know your husband's sperm has memory, and if his body is inflamed, then your pregnancy is going to pay the price. His stress, poor sleep, junk food, also all those toxins, they will leave an epigenetic scar on the sperm. This altered sperm then can disrupt implantation and weaken the placenta.”

The nutritionist continues, “A weak placenta will then obviously increase the risk of preeclampsia, premature birth,” as well as “poor nutrient transfer to your baby”. Hence, a father's inflammation, insulin resistance, gut issues and other such problems can travel through his sperm and show up as pregnancy risks, according to Chowdhary.

But here is the part most people do not know. She notes that the sperm cycle resets every 74 days, just like the women's menstrual cycle. “In just two and a half months, his health can change your pregnancy outcomes.”

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“Healthy pregnancies don't begin at a positive test. They begin months earlier, in both partners. If this shifts how you think about fertility prep, share it with your partner or a couple trying to conceive,” she concludes.

The nutritionist busts the myth around fertility and explains how male health in the months before conception can directly influence implantation, placental strength and pregnancy outcomes.

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