Healthier men means healthier sperm - and fewer miscarriages

It’s an unfortunate fact that one in four pregnancies will end in a miscarriage, typically within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. In most cases, this will be a single, one-off event with the underlying biological cause unknown. However, around 1% of couples will suffer the agony that is recurrent miscarriage.

Recurrent miscarriage is typically defined as the loss of three or more pregnancies in a row. As the mother carries the pregnancy, the traditional belief has been that the underlying cause of miscarriage resides with her. But maternal factors such as hormone imbalance or an inability for the womb to support the pregnancy only account for about half of recurrent miscarriages. It’s clear, then, that other unknown factors apart from maternal health play a significant role in miscarriage risk. This lack of understanding has lead researchers to investigate whether the quality of a father’s sperm may be involved.

Healthy fathers, healthy sperm

Before becoming pregnant, many women will assess and modify their current lifestyle choices, for example drinking or smoking less, in order to ensure a healthy pregnancy. But the health of the father at the time of conception is one factor...