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Alternative medicine
By Mayo Clinic staffEvidence is still limited on whether — or how much — herbs or supplements might help increase male fertility. Some, such as zinc, may help only if you have a deficiency.
Supplements that show some promise for improving sperm count or sperm quality include:
- Vitamin C
- Zinc
- Selenium
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin B-12
- Asian ginseng
Other supplements — including L-arginine and L-carnitine — may help improve sperm quality, but more research is needed.
Talk to your doctor before taking any herbal remedies or supplements, as some can cause harm when taken in high doses (megadoses) and some can cause problems when taken with certain medications.
- Guzick DS. Evaluation of the infertile couple. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 7, 2010.
- Sigman M, et al. Male infertility. In: Wein AJ, et al. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/198188923-5/0/1445/22.html. Accessed May 7, 2010.
- Swerdloff RF, et al. Evaluation of male infertility. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 7, 2010.
- Bulun SE, et al. Infertility and subfertility in men. In: Kronenberg HM, et al. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/199429868-3/0/1555/120.html?tocnode=54107480&fromURL=120.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2911-3..50020-0--cesec90_1743. Accessed May 7, 2010.
- Swerdloff RF, et al. Causes of male infertility. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 7, 2010.
- Leibovitch. The vicious cycling: Bicycling related urogenital disorders. European Urology. 2005;47:277.
- Wang C. et al. Treatment of male infertility. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 7, 2010.
- Eskenazi B, et al. Antioxidant intake is associated with semen quality in healthy men. Human Reproduction. 2005;20:1006.
- Jurewicz J, et al. Environmental factors and semen quality. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health. 2009;22:305.
- Agarwal A, et al. Prevention of oxidative stress injury to sperm. Journal of Andrology. 26;6:2005.
- Agarwal A, et al. Carnitines and male infertility. Reproductive BioMedicine Online. 2004;8:376. http://www.rbmonline.com/4DCGI/Article/Detail?38%091%09=%201200%09. Accessed May 7, 2010.
- Burns LH. Psychiatric aspects of infertility and infertility treatments. Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2007;30:689.
- Hornstein MD, et al. Optimizing natural fertility in couples planning pregnancy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 7, 2010.
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