Reiki Healing Massage

Hubby had his Reiki Healing "Massage" yesterday! I wish i could have gone to really see what it was all about. He had a hard time getting there and was pretty stressed out (as usual, per new driving directions). I was scared that he'd call me afterwards irate at wasting an hour of his life with a hippy chic, but he actually enjoyed it! He said he probably wouldn't go again but would love to try acupuncture. He said he felt very relaxed afterwards. The lady went over something about Chakras with him - showed him the pressure points for sleeping well and reproduction.

The thyroid gland looks about where the sleep point would be and the sacral or root point is for reproduction. Hubby left all the papers in the car that had the chart and notes on it. She told him to definitely get at the least 6-7 hours of sleep a night and to eat apples to help with reproduction. Apples seem like a little too much of biblical connection for fertility, but hey, that didn't stop me from buying Hubby a bag of Gala apples at the grocery store last night.

TMI - before we did our "baby dance" last night we were talking about the Reiki session, and I managed to convince him to think/visualize healthy sperm being created in his body and being released into mine. I told him i would visualize a pretty little golden egg waiting patiently and a nice healthy sperm meeting it! Haha! I've heard that visualization is involved with acupuncture so i gave my G.oogle MD studies a whirl and we'll see what happens!

All we need is one good sperm! Just one little perfect sperm to shoot out of Hubby and make its way safely to my egg. I know its probably too early in Hubby's detox plan to be expecting to get pregnant but TTC'ers never give up hope.

Unorganized Vitmain List for Sperm Improvement

I realized that I haven't compiled my list of vitamins that I've been told can help morphology. Most of these vitamins can be found in a good Multi-vitamin. I've highlighted the ones I've added to Hubby's sperm improving concoction!

Pr.ayforam.ircale at W.ebMD shared this list with me:

• Arginine - 4gr daily - Needed to produce sperm. If sperm is below 10 million per ML, probably will not benefit from taking this
• Coenzyme Q10 - 10mg daily - Increases sperm count and motility
• L-Carnitine -3gr daily - Required for normal sperm function
• Selenium - 200mcg daily - Improves sperm motility
• Vitamin B12 - B12 deficiency reduces sperm motility and count. Even with no deficiency, B12 may help men with a sperm count less than 20 million per ML or a motility rate of less than 50%
• Vitamin E - 400IUs 2x/day-Improves sperms ability to impregnate
• Zinc - 30mg 2x/day - Required for a healthy male reproductive system and sperm production
• Copper - 1mg daily-Improve sperm quality
• SAMe - 800mg daily - May also increase sperm activity in infertile men
• Royal jelly - 200mg daily-It has been found to increase sperm count
• Vitamin A (Beta carotene) - 100,000IU daily-A defincieny is shown to reduce sperm volume, count and increase abnormal sperm
• Bee Pollen - 500mg 2x daily-Improves sperm production
• Pycnogenol - Improves quality and function of sperm and improves morphology

Con.ceptionXR - fertilitysciences.com (this person comments a lot on the Male Factor boards on W.ebMD, I think he's one of the Doctors for Con.ceptionXR) Below is the list of vitamins that they say are in their pills that they sell.

• Vitamins C and E—are essential antioxidants that protect the body's cells from damage from oxidative stress and free radicals. Vitamin C is one of the most abundant antioxidants in the semen of fertile men, and it contributes to the maintenance of healthy sperm by protecting the sperm's DNA from free radical damage. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps protect the sperm's cell membrane from damage. Studies have shown that vitamin E improves sperm motility (movement). Vitamin C functions to regenerate vitamin E, thus these vitamins may work together to improve sperm function. Men with low fertilization rates who took vitamin E supplements for 3 months showed a significant improvement in fertilization rate. Vitamin E supplementation in infertile men resulted in increased pregnancy rates.
• Selenium—is a mineral that functions as an antioxidant. Selenium supplements have been shown to increase sperm motility, and a combination of selenium and vitamin E has been shown to decrease damage from free radicals and improve sperm motility in infertile men.
• Lycopene—is a potent antioxidant and carotenoid (plant pigment) that is abundant in tomatoes. This phytonutrient is found in high levels in the male testes, and research has shown that lycopene supplementation improved sperm parameters in infertile men.
• Zinc—is an essential trace mineral that plays a role in sperm formation, testosterone metabolism, and cell motility. Zinc supplementation has been show to increase testosterone levels, sperm count, and sperm motility
• Folic Acid—is a B vitamin that is necessary for DNA synthesis. Low levels of folic acid have been associated with a decreased sperm count and decreased sperm motility. In a recent study, the combination of zinc and folic acid resulted in a 74% increase in total normal sperm count in subfertile men
• L-carnitine—is an amino acid produced by the body, and functions to transport fat so that it can be broken down for energy. L-carnitine provides energy for the sperm, and is important for optimal sperm motility. L-carnitine has also been shown to increase sperm quality and increase pregnancy rate

Hubby is also drinking a glass of pomegranate and blueberry juice daily and eating lots of dark berries (antioxidants). I've heard that Maca is good for sperm also.

Bad Bad Bad . . . But Not Horrible

The Dr. was NO help at helping us understand what his S/A results mean. And we had to pay the co-pay to to get the results!!! 5/1/09

All of these were good:
volume 2.1 ml
normal color
liquefaction time 46 min
viscosity good
concentration 40 million motile, 75 million total
motility 53%
Forward progression - 60% moderate, 20% sluggish, 20% non-progressive, 0% rapid ???
quality of progression 3+,
round cells <1 ml (normal <5 mil)

Now here's the bad news - morphology 0%

I've been crying about this because i know this is bad. The Dr. suggested he not wear spandex shorts when doing jiu-jitsu, cut back on alcohol (he drinks about 2-4 glasses of wine every night), and to stop using chewing tobacco (yes, he uses dip about 1 can of Skoal a week, and I'm very repulsed and embarresed by it). He's going to get a second S/A done in 4 weeks and I'll take both results to my RE appointment.

I wonder what my chances are for IUI? Or am i going to have to face a biological IVF baby or an IUI donor sperm baby? I wonder if him quiting chewing tobacco and spandex shorts really help morphology?

I've heard it takes 2.5 months for the sperm to completely develop and and come out... so is the next S/A too soon? I made sure with the RE and they said it was fine.

I'm proud of my hubby for quitting the dip and to eliminate the spandex, but he's being stubborn about the alcohol. He said he's going to cut back, but want him to pretty much quit. Maybe i'm being to overbearing.

I've gotten lots of great advice from my ladies at WebMD. Hubby's going to start taking Pycnogenol which is to help improve quality and function of sperm and improves morphology. I don't know if i believe in taking the FerilAid for men. but he's taking some type of fertil blend in addition to his multi-vitamin's and other supplements.

I think I'm ok now. I have some weird faith that his sperm is going to get better.