Sperm Spurn

Every Sunday, it never ceases to amaze me the number of commercials I see peddling sexual intimacy drugs like Viagra, Levitra and Cialis. What these products have to do with football I have no idea (other than the fact that they’re paying the NFL zillions of dollars to be aired), but one thing I’m clear about is that they actually have a negative impact on sex’s ultimate purpose. Sure, they may provide a temporary potency, a temporary fix to a man’s nether regions, but if a couple wants more out of their intimacy than recreation, it’s best avoiding these drugs entirely.

There have already been a number of studies done on the side effects of impotence drugs – to say nothing of the side effects the companies themselves hash out in their commercials – but this one I found particularly revealing regarding just how backward they are to maintaining sexual health. According to the journal Fertility and Sterility, Viagra – the very drug that’s supposed to increase one’s sexual drive and enhance intimacy – decreases one’s fertility rate.

It isn’t so much that the Viagra decreases a man’s sperm count, though. When the researchers looked at the effect Viagra had on sperm, they found that when sperm was treated with a Viagra solution, the Viagra essentially “injured” the sperm itself by rendering the sperm’s acrosome impotent. The acrosome is the portion of the sperm that releases egg-penetrating enzymes that enable the sperm to fertilize an egg.

Obviously, this kind of finding left the researchers wondering what kind of effect this would have on fertility rates. As such, they fed one groups of labs rats samples of Viagra to see what effect Viagra had on their fertility rates. Based on their initial findings regarding human sperm samples, their suspicions proved true; Viagra-fed rats produced 40 percent fewer instances of successful egg fertilization compared to the untreated rats.

Granted, 40 percent is a minority, but that’s a high minority. A few more percentage points and one’s success at producing an actual embryo is 50-50. What on earth are people spending their money on when their chances at having a baby are better not taking Viagra?

Viagra may work for some people, but I’m a wholehearted advocate of staying away from Viagra and products like it and opting for natural alternatives to problems with impotence. They’re out there and they work. If you’ve read my past article on impotence this will be redundant (see “The Truth About Impotence”), but some of the ways to increase your potency while maintaining “uninjured” sperm is through supplementation like Carlson’s Liquid Fish Oil. Besides its high omega-3 content – a salve for your heart – the essential fatty acids it contains help in the formation of sperm. Something else I recommend taking is an herb called damiana. Not only is it a natural aphrodisiac, but it increases blood flow to the genitals – an essential factor in maintaining a high sperm count. You should be able to find damiana leaf extract liquid or capsules at any vitamin shop near you or online.

Don’t fall victim to the onslaught of commercials that claim to offer a salvation for your sex life. They peddle a temporary fix that can put a nix on your fertility rate.