Oxidative Stress

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are free radicals produced by sperm and are very important for sperm function at low levels. ROS are maintained at low levels by effective antioxidant pathways both within the sperm and in the seminal fluid. However, if the production of ROS overwhelms the capacity of these antioxidant pathways to maintain low ROS levels then oxidative stress occurs, resulting in sperm membrane damage and DNA fragmentation, both of which are associated with increased incidence of infertility and recurrent miscarriage. The largest source of ROS is white blood cells, produced as a result of infection. ROS damage to the sperm can also be caused by exposure to heat, chemicals, varicocoeles, smoking, alcohol and radiation.

Thankfully, oxidative stress is quite easy to test for and if we suspect that this may be a factor in your inability to conceive or to maintain a pregnancy to term, we will are usually able to identify this quickly. What's more, it can often be simply fixed, both by removing the possible environmental causes and by making sure you have a healthy diet with plenty of antioxidants, as these will help to mop up the free radicals and restore a proper balance.

Vitamen Boost, our latest anti-oxidant booster supplement, has been developed to help increase a man's intake of a wide spectrum of powerful antioxidants (click here for details).