Couples are more likely to enhance their fertility with fitness, according to the recent article “Assisted Reproductive Technologies Benefit from Better Health” in the April, 2014 issue of Austin Fit Magazine. Penned by Dr. Parviz Kavoussi and Dr. Shahryar Kavoussi of Austin Fertility and Reproductive Medicine/Westlake IVF, the article discusses the important and sometimes critical role of fitness in fertility outcomes.
Infertile overweight men with a high body mass index may invite a host of fertility challenges, including insufficient sperm parameters, DNA damage, compromised embryo development, decreased live birth rates with In Vitro Fertilization, and compromised sperm production. Fat also affects the 1 percent of men who have azoospermia, which involves a deficiency in sperm production. General overall fitness and a good diet can improve all of these fertility challenges.
Studies show for women too that overall fitness improves fertility outcomes: weight loss has had positive effects on fertility and reduced miscarriage rates. Recent research shows that live birth rates among obese or overweight infertile women improves with weight loss and in this same group, pregnancy rates with IVF improve with short-term weight loss.
However important overall fitness is to improved fertility, it’s much more critical that couples seek comprehensive couples care when seeking fertility help. When reproductive endocrinologists and reproductive urologists work together to treat both the male and female partner, they are able to optimize fertility outcomes for the couple as a whole. In fact, data reveals that combination treatments provide the best outcomes. Twenty percent of infertility cases are attributed solely to the male while 30–40 percent include both male and female factors. Drs. Parviz and Shahryar Kavoussi both emphasize how critical it is to have both the male and female partner evaluated when couples deal with infertility as resolutions require collaboration and teamwork from fertility specialists as well as a combination of treatments.
"It has been well established that fitness helps optimize male & female fertility. Being proactive with fitness and fertility gives couples a better chance of succeeding."
Both Dr. Parviz Kavoussi and Dr. Shahryar Kavoussi are distinguished, esteemed and recognized for their contributions to their respective fields of male and female fertility. Dr. Parviz Kavoussi is an award-winning Adjunct Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Austin and Dr. Shahryar Kavoussi is a recipient of multiple and consecutive Patient’s Choice Awards. Both doctors practice at Austin Fertility and Reproductive Medicine/Westlake IVF is the only private fertility center in the United States with Board Certified and Fellowship trained specialists in both male and female fertility.
