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Quality Sperm Demand More Sex

Docs tie frequent activity to reduced genetic defects

By Sam Gale Rosen, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 16, 2007 3:41 PM CDT

(Newser) – Conventional wisdom says daily sex reduces the chance of success for couples trying to conceive, but conventional wisdom may be very wrong. A small Sydney University study found men with damaged sperm actually improved its quality by producing it on a daily basis for a week. Abstaining does increase quantity, the BBC reports, but in some men quality tracks frequency.

"I remember one couple in which the woman would only let the man ejaculate when she was in her fertile period, so the poor chap was going without for almost a month at a time” said a British Fertility Society member. Normal couples can try every 2 to 3 days, but the DNA-damaged should get busy daily.

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Although some couples trying to get pregnant will practice abstaining from sex for short periods, a recent study suggests that men with damaged sperm have better odds when daily attempts are made. (Shutterstock.com)

While some have previously recommended allowing the sperm count to "build up," when trying to aid fertility, this most recent research suggests a trade-off between quantity and quality. (Shutterstock.com)

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Quality Sperm Demand More Sex