What tests need to pass when planning a man's pregnancy?

The opinion that the future father’s role in planning pregnancy is not limited to direct participation in conceiving and supporting a woman during pregnancy is common. If a couple of centuries ago the blame for the absence of children in the family was usually assigned to a woman, now medicine has the ability to determine exactly which of the spouses is fruitless. Without a doubt, the degree of health of a woman carrying a child has a great influence on the outcome of pregnancy.

However, physiological indicators of the future father are of no less importance at the planning stage of pregnancy. This article will tell you about what factors contribute to the development of male infertility, and what tests are necessary to pass a man when planning pregnancy.

The first stage of preparing the future father for a possible pregnancy should include psychological preparation. If a man is not morally ready for this responsible step or is not fully aware of the importance of what is happening, then before starting any medical procedures, it is better for him to consult with a psychologist. Well, if this is a family psychotherapy.

If a man is psychologically ready for the appearance of an heir, then You can safely proceed to the practical part of pregnancy planning, which includes:

• rejection of harmful habits (smoking, alcohol in any form and quantity);
• adherence to a healthy work and rest schedule;
• healthy eating;
• maintaining psycho-emotional balance (men need to avoid stressful situations, in extreme cases - seek help from a psychotherapist, take sedatives, take a vacation);

• elimination or restriction of exposure to vibration or too high temperatures;
• vitamin therapy;
• exclusion of exposure to toxic and radiation substances;
• if necessary - weight loss;
• regular exercise;
• prevention or timely treatment of respiratory diseases;
• treatment of chronic infectious diseases.

The first narrow specialist who should be visited by a man who dreams of becoming a father is a urologist. The doctor will determine the range of diagnostic examinations depending on the results of an objective examination. It is possible that he will recommend his patient to consult with other specialists (for example, an endocrinologist, a cardiologist, a neuropathologist, a psychologist). Based on the results of all studies, the urologist will give appropriate recommendations, and, if necessary, prescribe treatment.

Standard list of laboratory tests for men when planning pregnancy.

• General clinical analyzes of urine and blood. These studies are able to identify some pathological processes occurring in the body that may interfere with conception or adversely affect the health of the unborn child.
• Rh Determination. This indicator can have a significant impact on the nature of the course of pregnancy. It is necessary at the stage of its planning to determine the compatibility of the married couple on this basis.

• Venereal diseases. This is probably the most common cause of the inflammatory process in the reproductive system.Such pathologies can become a serious obstacle to conception or complicate the course of pregnancy. If using laboratory tests revealed the presence of a sexually transmitted disease, then planning pregnancy should begin only after full recovery.
• TORCH infections. This type of laboratory research will reveal the presence of pathogens such as rubella, herpes, cytomegalovirus, chlamydia and toxoplasmosis in the body. These infections can negatively affect the intrauterine development of the child. If the result of this analysis confirms that the man has at least one of the listed diseases, then the planned conception will have to be postponed until the disease is completely cured.

• Spermogram This analysis will determine the structural features, the degree of mobility, as well as the number of germ cells in the male seminal fluid. Before the delivery of biological material, within a few days, it is necessary to give up bad habits, excessive loads, taking medications.

• Physiological compatibility. It happens that a long time pregnancy may not occur due to the physiological incompatibility of partners. It can also cause frequent cases of spontaneous abortion in the early stages. This feature is not a sentence, and with the right choice of therapy, the couple can enjoy parental happiness.
• Fluorography. This study is considered a standard procedure that needs to be carried out at least once a year.

• Tests for hormones:
  1. Testosterone. This factor plays a major role in the issue of pregnancy planning, since the hormonal imbalance in the male body can lead to the development of relative infertility;
  2. Luteinizing hormone. This substance has a stimulating effect on the production of testosterone by the sex glands. The level of luteinizing hormone increases after intense physical exertion, as a result of a stressful situation and renal failure. The lack of this hormone in the male body can appear on the background of obesity, smoking and chronic fatigue;
  3. Follicle-stimulating hormone. Maintains a balance of testosterone in the body and is involved in the production of sperm. The level of this hormone in the blood increases due to the regular use of alcohol, iron deficiency, neoplasm in the brain. A decrease in FSH can occur due to starvation or obesity;
  4. Choriotropic hormone. If, for the sake of laughter, the man decided to try a home pregnancy test on himself, and as a result he saw two strips, this could be a sign of the development of a malignant tumor in the testicles;
  5. Prolactin. This hormone regulates the water-salt metabolism. It also has an impact on sperm production. A prolonged stay of a man in a stressful state helps to reduce the production of prolactin;
  6. Stradiol hormone. The production of this hormone is carried out in the testicles, and its amount directly depends on the amount of adipose tissue in the male body. The increased production of estradiol hormone by the gonads leads to an imbalance of the male.

• The secret of the prostate gland. This study is assigned to a man only if during an objective examination by a urologist any deviation from the norm was found in the structure of this organ.
• Electrocardiogram. Nowadays, a large number of men of reproductive age suffer from certain diseases of the cardiovascular system.Therefore, verification of the functional ability of the heart is among the tests necessary for planning a pregnancy.

It would not be superfluous for a man to visit genetics, who will be able to find out if there is a risk of developing hereditary diseases in an unborn child. Be sure to visit a specialist in this area is necessary for a couple who have high risk factors. Such factors include the presence of genetic diseases in immediate relatives, and the prolonged exposure of the parents (or one of them) to the body of negative external factors that can provoke the development of a hereditary pathology in the fetus.

In the process of planning a pregnancy, a diet has a big influence on the reproductive health of a man. During this period, the doctor may recommend that he take certain vitamin complexes, macro- and microelements, which have a positive effect both on his reproductive system and on the state of the body as a whole. Most often, the following drugs are prescribed to the future father as vitamin therapy:

• folic acid, which has a suppressive effect on that part of the spermatozoa that "carry" damaged chromosomes;
• ascorbic acid, stimulating the activity of the sex glands and increasing the number of motile cells in the semen.
• Vitamin E., positively influencing the quality of seminal fluid, and making sperm motile and more resistant to negative external factors;
• selenium, which promotes the process of renewal of seminal fluid and the elimination of heavy metal salts from the body, and protects cells from free radicals;
• Zinc, which has a positive effect on testosterone production.

It has been clinically proven that a man, having consumed alcohol less than three months before conception, risks harming the health of the fetus. The average representative of the stronger sex of reproductive age, who has no health problems, contains in his seminal fluid about a quarter of the incapacitated spermatozoa. Regular intake of alcohol at times increases the number of damaged germ cells in the semen, due to which the chances of successful conception are sharply reduced. Besides, if a potential father abuses hard liquor, the risk of intrauterine development abnormalities increases significantly.

Smoking is no less a threat to the development of the fetus than drinking alcohol. Toxic substances that are contained in the structure of tobacco, have a destructive effect on spermatozoa, increasing the likelihood of spontaneous abortion in the early stages or the development of anatomical defects in a baby.

The direct involvement of men in preparing for the appearance of the baby speaks about his responsible attitude to the future parenthood. This approach has a positive effect on the psycho-emotional background of a woman who wants to soon become a mother, which is very important during pregnancy.

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