A Man's Guide to Optimal Hormonal Health

Whether you and your partner are planning a pregnancy or if you simply want help with sexual function, male hormones play a huge role in a man's life. Low testosterone can cause a variety of problems, including low sperm counts and the inability to maintain an erection. Consider adding a few supplements to your diet and some lifestyle changes to achieve better hormonal health.

Hormonal Health

• To maximize your fertility and regulate your hormones, add a few supplements and vitamins to your diet. Though you may not be currently trying to achieve a pregnancy with your partner, you still want to maintain healthy, motile sperm and a normal sperm count. To help increase and maintain your sperm count, add vitamin C to your diet. Take 1,000 mg of vitamin C daily, plus calcium, magnesium and manganese to help with absorption. According to Marilyn Shannon, author of "Fertility, Cycles and Nutrition," vitamin C improves sperm quality, morphology and motility. It can also reduce clumping of the sperm together, or sperm agglutination.

  To help with testosterone production in the testes, take at least 50 mg of zinc daily. Even a mild zinc deficiency can cause low sperm counts, and zinc supplementation can increase sexual desire and testosterone levels.

  Vitamin A can help aid the lining of the cells in the testes' seminiferous tubules, the cells that develop sperm. Also include B vitamins in your routine, as Shannon says that an inadequate amount of B vitamins can cause a reduction of pituitary function, which helps aid in sperm production and testosterone production.

  Add an essential fatty acid to your diet, as men have a higher need of these healthy fats, which improve glandular function in men. Consider adding 1 tbsp. of flax or safflower oil to your daily routine.

  A selenium deficiency can cause immobile sperm that could have fragile tails that break off. Take 200 mg of selenium daily to increase the quality of your sperm. In addition, Shannon says that selenium supplementation reduced the risk of death by prostate cancer by 63 percent.

  Because the prostate gland affects a man's ability to maintain an erection, if you're struggling with impotence, do your best to maintain proper prostate health. Take the previously listed supplements, as well as vitamin E. Up your zinc intake to 100 mg a day. To help improve blood flow to the prostate gland, exercise regularly and avoid cigarettes.