Male Fertility Is Plunging and Fatherhood Is in Crisis

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Male fertility is plunging and Site Web Enter your search fatherhood is in crisis as more couples ADVERTISEMENT than ever fail to conceive - can The Art of Baby Making author Gerad Kite tackle the problem?

By GERAD KITE FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY PUBLISHED: 17:19 EDT, 16 June 2018 | UPDATED: 20:34 EDT, 16 June 2018 99 shares View com2me3nts

Anxious, stressed out, stretched to breaking point… and riven with worries about how they look and perform in an image-obsessed world.

Terriied that they’re in danger of fading into the background or being replaced by a ‘younger model’ at work or, more worryingly, at home.

Too tired for sex with their partner yet desperate for a baby – and seemingly unable to conceive.

These concerns may have once been the preserve of women, but I’m taking about the problems blighting my typical middle-aged male patient.

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Lisa Snowdon parades Chris Evans is among the celebrities who has sought help from fertility expert and author her toned legs in a Gerad Kite soaring split gown as she joins chic Claudia Winkleman at star- Why do they come to me? Well, I am an acupuncturist with a busy practice in studded V&A Summer party London. Love Island's Dr. Alex I’ve become known for my unique approach and successes in helping couples facing FINALLY gets the girl as 'emotional' fans infertility. celebrate smitten Ellie's vow to couple up with I practice Five-Element acupuncture, which is diﬀerent from the type you might be him familiar with. We don’t focus on directly tackling a symptom, such as asthma or skin complaints, but on bringing the whole person into balance. Love Island: Adam's family leap to his defence as they remind Fertility isn’t all I do, but it is something I do well – two-thirds of my patients get viewers the show is 'edited' and he's 'doing pregnant, compared to about 35 per cent of all those having IVF. what is right for him' following backlash I’ll see a man because I’ve been treating his wife. And now, more often, of his own ADVERTISEMENT volition. Video playing bottom right...

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'I’ve become known for my unique approach and successes in helping couples facing infertility,' writes the fertility expert. Love Island: Laura, 29, tells 'childish' partner Wes, 20, to 'grow up' as Samira expresses And while the lack of a baby, despite months or even years of trying, will be the concern over their primary complaint, when I scratch the surface a more troubling picture emerges. NINE-YEAR age gap

In my experience, it’s modern life and all the stresses and strains it creates for Does Love Island's couples, and in particular men, that is preventing so many becoming fathers. Ellie Brown have a secret ex? Star sparks rumours she 'dumped My waiting room used to be lined with women. When I opened up shop two decades her businessman ago, they made up 95 per cent of my clientele. Today, close to half of my new boyfriend days before entering the villa' referrals are men, and that number is rising. TOWIE's Tommy Mallett That is because we are in the midst of a male fertility crisis… shares throwback snap of his 'number 1' Georgia Kousoulou on HOW INFERTILITY BECAME A MAN’S PROBLEM her 27th birthday...'pre nose job and 20 stone lighter' Take John (not his real name), a 41-year-old banking executive who is a current patient. He told me he felt ‘on top of the world’ when he married his wife, who is six years his junior, and landed a promotion.

On the surface, they’re the epitome of success: the good looks, the cars, the holidays, the lovely house in a desirable part of town. But – and this is something Jacqueline Jossa John is unable to admit to even his friends – he and his wife cannot conceive. ‘It’s my ditches her wedding ring after husband Dan swimmers,’ he told me forlornly after tests revealed his low sperm count. Osborne was seen flirting with three But there was seemingly no explanation for the problem. He had no other health swimwear-clad ladies on Vegas stag do issues. But I wasn’t sure things were quite as rosy as John believed. So I start to Sir Lenny Henry question a little deeper, to look for a cause, and sure enough… continues to display his dramatic weight loss at Could it be his crushing 50-hour working week and that nagging fear that he’ll soon charity theatre performance in London be stepped over by the junior executive snapping at his heels? The late nights, early starts, the weight gain and the furious gym sessions he hopes will counteract that?

Beaming Queen leads Maybe it was the fact he’d given up alcohol – as many men who are trying for a baby the royals on their do – only to end up having one too many with friends at the weekend? second day at Ascot - but Lady Luck failed to smile on Sophie Wessex According to the Five-Element approach, people stop caring for themselves like this who saw just ONE of her horses come in because something fundamental is oﬀ kilter. Billie Faiers shows off Once we’ve discovered this ‘cause’ we can take steps to bring the body, mind and her eye-popping cleavage in stunning spirit back into balance. The igures are well known: the average sperm count has cream gown while nosedived by 52 per cent in the past 40 years. Scientists seem to be in the dark as to fiancé Greg Shepherd flaunts his DAZZLING why. new grin at Ascot Races

Men are also leaving fatherhood later than ever. Four decades ago, the average age ADVERTISEMENT of a irst-time dad was 27. Now he’s 31. One in ten are older than 40, and one in 100 are over 50. The result? Well, one in six couples – about 3.5 million people – are now aﬀected by infertility.

Very often, after medical tests fail to ind anything physically wrong, the cause is simply given as ‘unexplained’. But I believe that it is a symptom of a wider problem facing men: mental health issues, stress and burn-out. They are always measuring themselves against the perfect lives they see on social media.

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Mollie King shows off Some have anger management problems. Others fall into addiction. I treat men who her legs in casual denim dress as she joins have turned to porn, alcohol or hard drugs. fellow blonde beauty Laura Whitmore at mini golf launch Some are simply addicted to work. These life problems might seem like side issues to fertility but they are not. Natural selection is there for a reason – to ensure that we do not procreate in times of danger and stress. Dua Lipa leaves little to the imagination in VERY risqué thigh-split If modern life is costing men their physical, mental and spiritual health, Mother dress as she steps out in NYC Nature will ensure all their energy is focused on their own survival, not procreation. In my clinic I see patients who are wealthy, successful and ambitious but who cannot ADVERTISEMENT get their wife or girlfriend pregnant.

They are men who thrive on adrenaline at work and push through the tiredness of a couple of hours snatched sleep with a cocktail of coﬀee, pastries and chocolate bars, and a drink at the end of the day to relax.

In your 20s, or even early 30s, you can get away with it.

But the cost is low-quality sperm. For optimal fertility the body needs balance. And that is where acupuncture comes in.

Radio 1 DJ Greg James, who is just about to take over the station’s Breakfast Show, is a long-term fan of treatment with me. He is not trying to become a father but he wants to be the best man he can be.

Another of my clients is Ed O’Brien of Radiohead who has acupuncture as a way of maintaining his body’s balance as he navigates life at the very top of the music industry and life at home with his wife and two children. Chris Evans is another client, and Fearne Cotton has recommended me to her male friends and family members.

They understand it is not girly to want to look after yourself.

Rather than focus on the tangible problem such as tiredness, which gives a man permission to come through our door, or address symptoms like eczema or irritable bowel syndrome, we look at the bigger picture. Our approach is to ask men who they are and what they really want. And then we use acupuncture to stimulate their body’s own powers of healing. Little Mix's Jade Thirlwall looks trendy in JUST DON’T CALL IT THE MANOPAUSE a baggy grey bardot dress and trainers for Aladdin The Musical ‘Not tonight dear, I’ve got a headache’ was a woman’s excuse for turning down sex, event according to stereotype. But it’s not true. In fact, a recent major study suggested men were just as likely to go oﬀ sex as women. Mark Wright reunites with long-time pal Jack This midlife male crisis has been nicknamed the ‘manopause’ but that makes me Tweed as they party in Majorca ahead of his cringe – not just because it undermines the very real menopause that women brother Josh's wedding experience but because most of what happens to middle-aged men is self-sabotage.

It can be a very lonely time. But it is not a male menopause – it is about lifestyle Sofia Richie wishes dad Lionel a happy 69th choices and belief systems. birthday... while he hits the road on UK summer And I will step over a line here and say that with acupuncture and lifestyle changes, I tour would put money on most men being able to get their partner pregnant. Eventually.

Today is Father’s Day and we are looking at a generation of men of whom many – too Princess Beatrice puts on a VERY leggy display many – are struggling to become fathers. in a white ruffle mini as she joins celebrities at star-studded V&A That’s the tragedy of our time. But it does not have to be. summer party geradkite.com Brooklyn Beckham grapples with his camera as aspiring My top ten tips for rejuvenating your libido photographer, 19, attends V&A Summer Party 1 HAVE MORE SEX

It may seem obvious but one of the main reasons people struggle to conceive is Lady Kitty Spencer lives up to her socialite because they’re not having enough sex. Conception is a numbers game and you status as she steps out need to be doing it every other day. Talk together about how to make that work. at ANOTHER showbiz 2 GO TO BED early bash alongside a knicker-flashing Lady Mary Charteris If you are exhausted, you’re not going to be up for much. Go to bed at 10.30pm at the latest and observe good ‘sleep hygiene’ – no books, TV and computers. The bedroom is for sex and sleep only.

3 A PINT IS OK

Contrary to popular belief, the odd drink is not a fertility sin. A glass of wine or a pint Jeremy Clarkson, 58, and his girlfriend Lisa of beer a day is within recommended limits. Avoid the sperm-destroying pattern of Hogan, 46, enjoy date total abstinence and occasional binges. And make sure you stay hydrated by night at V&A Summer Party drinking two litres of water a day. Game Of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie 4 EAT BETTER exudes elegance in plunging ballgown at Googling the subject of male fertility may throw up endless recommendations for V&A Summer Party supplements, pills and potions, but I simply suggest a healthy balanced diet – and don’t skip meals, especially breakfast. Avoid too many reined carbs such as bread, Ciara, 32, thinks pink pasta, rice, pastries, pies and chocolate bars. in velvet blazer over a slinky jumpsuit at star- studded V&A Summer 5 LOSE WEIGHT party Retro vibes Men who are overweight have lower sperm counts and poorer quality sperm than those who are a healthy weight, according to studies. And obese fathers may also SEBASTIAN pass on unhealthy genes to their oﬀspring. So if you need to, lose weight. SHAKESPEARE: Biker chic Princesses in the Park with Beatrice and 6 WEAR BOXERS Eugenie revealing their love of edgy fashion at the Serpentine Summer Wear boxer shorts rather than briefs – and sleep nude. Doing so means 25 per cent Party lower levels of damaged DNA in sperm compared with those who wear tight pants at night and during the day, according to a trial. Cooler underpants preserves Kiefer Sutherland, 51, steps out with girlfriend reproductive cells. Cindy Vela, 39, for first time as their secret 7 STOP SMOKING FOUR-YEAR romance is revealed

Analysis of smokers’ semen reveals trace elements from tobacco that lowered sperm count and movement, and damaged their DNA. EXCLUSIVE: Heather Locklear's multi-million dollar mansion is 8 DITCH THE PILLS deemed a 'hazard' by fire department after she threatened to shoot Studies have shown that regularly taking ibuprofen has a direct impact on sperm police officers when they were called out quality. Other medications can also have a detrimental eﬀect. Speak to your GP about this. Taron Egerton tweets cryptic image to mark 9 BAG YOUR PHONE start of filming on Elton John biopic Rocketman

Some studies suggest sperm levels of men who kept their phones in their pocket during the day were seriously aﬀected – the electromagnetic heat that phones generate was to blame. Stick your mobile in your bag. Jessica Alba carries a cool drink after working 10 BIN THE BIKE up a sweat at the gym Putting in the effort Half an hour of jogging three times a week can boost sperm count, according to one study. More intense and longer sessions did not have the same positive eﬀect.

Cycling can lower sperm quality, due to the position on the saddle in relation to the Khloe Kardashian semen-producing prostate. dons see-through top as she grabs lunch with Tristan Thompson in LA Gave birth only two The Art Of Baby-Making and Everything You Need You Have, both by Gerad Kite, months ago are published by Short Books, and are available now from leading bookshops