The Protocol
Optimizing male fertility, on purpose.
Fertility isn't just a "women's problem." Sperm counts have fallen by more than 50% in fifty years, yet most of the pressure (and most of the testing, treatment, and emotional labor) still lands on the women. This site is my attempt to take the other half seriously: to measure, change, and measure again.
What this is: a protocol, not a diary. Every section is structured the same way: Why it matters, What I actually do, What I use, and What I'm tracking. If you want the 15-minute version, read the Start Here page.
My results so far
My total motile sperm concentration went from 26.4 M/mL to 179.1 M/mL over about ten weeks on the protocol, roughly a 6.8× increase.
That isn't a perfectly apples-to-apples comparison. The "before" result came from a YO at-home test, while the "after" came from a full clinical semen analysis. Either way, the improvement is substantial.
I didn't run a full clinical baseline at the start, which I regret. I assumed my sperm health was fine because I'm healthy, I work out, and I eat well. Clearly, that assumption was wrong.
The protocol, at a glance
Measure your baseline
Before doing anything, test your sperm and, if you can, your microplastic load. You can't improve what you don't measure.
Reduce testicular heat
Possibly the highest-leverage pillar. Laptops off laps, looser underwear, hot tubs out - the cheapest, fastest-acting fix.
Diet
Four diet levers actually move sperm. The rest is good for you but doesn't show up in a semen analysis.
Sleep
Most of your testosterone is made overnight. The target, the one medical thing to rule out, and what wrecks it.
Cut the substances that hurt sperm
The cleanest harm signal on the site (tobacco), the messiest (cannabis), and where alcohol's threshold actually sits.
Weekly training
Strength 3x/week, Zone 2 twice, and the two mistakes that seem to hurt sperm quality.
Supplements
The short stack I actually take, the evidence behind it, and what I dropped.
Reduce microplastic exposure
The 80/20 swaps I made in my kitchen, bathroom, and laundry, with the exact products I use.
What I'm measuring
The only way I know whether any of this is working is to keep testing. My minimum tracked set is:
| Metric | How often | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Semen analysis (count, motility, morphology, DNA fragmentation) | Every 90 days | Sperm take roughly 74 days to produce, so I treat shorter-term changes as directional rather than definitive. |
| Blood panel (testosterone, SHBG, estradiol, vitamin D, ferritin, thyroid) | Every 6 months | Hormonal context for the sperm numbers. |
| Resting HR & HRV (wearable) | Daily | Proxy for recovery and stress load. |
| Sleep duration and consistency | Daily | Single biggest confounder in my data so far. |
A warning before you start
None of this is medical advice. I am a guy on the internet with a spreadsheet and a semen analysis. If you are trying to conceive, see a reproductive urologist early, not after a year of guessing. This protocol is a complement to medical care, not a substitute for it. More on that in the disclosures.