I am so, SO excited to announce that I am now a partner of Examen, who offer the UK + Ireland’s most incredible male fertility test that properly assesses the most important part of the sperm – the DNA.

Introducing SpermComet:

Sperm DNA contains all the instructions that will make your baby, but it can be damaged during sperm production and storage, causing the DNA molecule to break into smaller fragments. This is known as DNA fragmentation, which can affect your ability to conceive or have a healthy baby. Men with high levels of damaged sperm DNA also have double the risk of miscarriage.

SpermComet® is one of the most accurate tests for sperm damage, measuring the amount of DNA fragmentation in your sperm, allowing you to know whether it’s a factor in your conception problems. The results also help guide you as to which course of treatment to follow should you be having assisted reproduction techniques such as IVF.

Properly assessing sperm in this way allows men to truly understand the quality of their sperm and with the proper guidance and support in lifestyle and diet make the necessary changes to improve their results and overall fertility.

At Life + Lemons, we’re pleased to announce that we are now be able to offer analysis of the SpermComet® test to male patients along with support programmes to enhance fertility.

What does this process look like?

We don’t offer in-house collection so it’s essential you reach out to your nearest hub. In our case here in Sheffield, this is Chesire, just 47 miles away. Rest assured that this offers a discreet and convenient hub to process samples.

Patients often ask why they cannot post samples directly to us for testing.

Unfortunately, sperm are very sensitive and do not live long outside the body. The longer sperm are outside the body, the more DNA damage is induced. To prevent this happening, samples need to be flash frozen in liquid nitrogen within 1 hour of ejaculation. This is not possible to do at home.

Next steps:

Email or call the clinic (Reproductive Health Group, Sample testing hub Centre for Reproductive Health Daresbury Park Daresbury Cheshire WA4 4GE United Kingdom).

State clearly that you wish to book an Exact Test (Please note, this is often known by professionals as the COMET test).

If you live within one hour of an Examen Hub, you can produce your sample at home and book an appointment to drop the sample off at the hub.

Please also ensure you provide a referral letter from your referring practitioner (that would be me 🙂 ) and indicate that you are booking an Exact® test for sperm DNA fragmentation on booking

The Report + Your Results:

For some men, trying to conceive can bring about big challenges both emotionally and physically.

It’s fair to say that there is far less support for men going through fertility treatment than there is for women, which can leave men feeling isolated and at a loss as to what they should do for the best.

Couple that with the pressure of supporting their partner whilst trying to manage their own diet, emotions, work and stress levels can all become quite overwhelming.

Finding somewhere to talk openly and get realistic, practical advice can be hard for men, which is why I’m keen to change that and can offer support to men struggling on their fertility journey.

Sometimes speaking about it can be the hardest thing but equally the best thing you can do for yourself. You can book in for your free 30 minute consultation on our website by clicking on the link below.

Or, alternatively if you’ve found this useful and would like some further advice, support or a chat, then please drop me a line I’ll be happy to help. Contact me either by email [email protected] or via telephone on 0114 491 0885.

I have been trained by the founders of the SpermComet test in how to interpret your results. You will first book in for a free 30 minute male fertility coaching session with me which will be conducted via a video call. This is called a ‘Male Fertility Discovery Call’– Here we dicuss your current picture of health and explore how a highly individualised acupuncture treatment plan could be beneficial for you.

After this call and once we have received your sperm analysis results, you will then be encouraged to book in for a 30 minute ‘Sperm Analysis Consultation’ during which we will thoroughly examine your results and identify what, if anything, is going on. From there, I will be making you a 90 day treatment plan based on your results to help address the issues found. You will be presented with with all the important facts, findings and figures from a range of sperm DNA diagnostics tests enabling you to determine any root causes of your fertility difficulties and therefore empowering you to take control of your own fertility.

Over 15% of couples worldwide experience fertility problems, and more than 50% of these cases are caused by male infertility. High sperm DNA damage is a common factor in men experiencing fertility problems.

By understanding the quality of sperm DNA, fertility experts can take measures to improve male fertility potential and predict the likelihood of success of assisted reproductive technology (ART) by IVF or ICSI.

Who is this test for?

-Anyone with unexplained infertility
-Anyone that is suffering with recurrent miscarriage
-Anyone that has been referred on to ICSI

Gain clarity on your state of fertility as a partnership and get the answers you need to start making accurate, positive and proactive changes to your partners sperm health.

Acupuncture for Male Fertility

Acupuncture has a long and successful history in reproductive medicine and as a supportive therapy alongside assisted conception techniques such as IVF. It can be used to help boost female and male fertility, prepare the body for conception and pregnancy and help with underlying conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis and irregular menstrual cycles. Acupuncture is also great for relieving stress which is often a big factor in a couple’s difficulty to conceive.

It is highly recommended that you receive acupuncture during your 90 day treatment plan. There is significant evidence that show.

We offer a professional, friendly and relaxed approach at the clinic, with over 10 years in working with a wide range of male fertility issues. Our acupuncture treatments are based upon up-to-date research using clinic protocols chosen to help boost male fertility, and to address overall health and well-being.

We use points in the abdomen and leg which help to increase blood flow through the small blood vessels of the testes, improving delivery of nutrients to developing sperm and promoting optimal sperm vitality.

There is a clear link to male fertility with both nutritional and lifestyle issues. Part of our comprehensive approach includes making suitable dietary recommendations in order to support and maximise our impact upon poor sperm parameters. Often a sensible, planned and individual approach, plus some persistence, helps to address many of the factors linked to reproduction.

It takes around 90 days to create new sperm, so positive effects from acupuncture sessions as well as from nutritional and lifestyle changes are maximised after this period. Follow up testing by semen analysis is recommended as a way to demonstrate the positive changes made from healthy choices.

What Is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a system of healing that has been used in China and the Far East for thousands of years. According to traditional Chinese philosophy our health is dependent on the smooth flow of our body’s energy. This energy, referred to as Qi (pronounced ‘chi’), can easily become disturbed or imbalanced.

It’s this imbalance that is understood to be at the root of symptoms. There are many aspects to people’s lives which cause these imbalances so it’s always important that a practitioner takes a thorough case history to fully understand all issues that could be affecting your health.

Traditional acupuncturists are trained to use subtle diagnostic techniques that have been developed and refined over thousands of years. Acupuncture is always focussed on the individual rather than just their main complaint and all symptoms are seen in relation to each other. Every person is unique so two people with the same western diagnosis will each receive different acupuncture treatments and different lifestyle and dietary advice.

Acupuncture is not about sticking you with needles. It’s a holistic practice that assesses your whole health against the principles of Chinese medicine and helps you to gain a much better understanding of what’s important for you in terms of your diet and lifestyle.

So Acupuncture isn’t just a treatment that is given to you, it’s about learning how to best support your own health and to understand how to read your body’s needs. Chinese medicine becomes a way of life that helps empower you to take charge of your health and wellbeing.

Acupuncture treatment itself aims to address the imbalances using the insertion of very fine needles at specific points around the body. Because the needles are so fine, the treatment is pain free. Coupled with comprehensive lifestyle and dietary advice the aim is to return your body to a state of balance and health.

My approach is always one which empowers people to take charge of their health.

Through educating my clients I encourage them to make changes to their lives based on the Chinese medicine model. With this approach patients see a steady and consistent improvement enabling them to remain in control of their health resulting in long lasting effects.