A man’s fingers can reveal his fertility. A study carried out by South Korean researchers from the Department of Urology at Gachon University Gil Hospital in Incheon in collaboration with Seoul National University Hospital has concluded that the arrangement and length of fingers on a man’s hand can tell how ‘endowed’ one is.
Reported on Mail Online, the study found that adult males with ring fingers longer than their index fingers on their right hands had larger testicles.
Conversely, men with longer index fingers compared to their ring fingers were found to have smaller testicles. The study established that the size of testicles was proportional to the ability of a man to sire children.
Menopause limitation
“Men, unlike women, don’t suffer the limitation of menopause. It has been however observed that a man’s ability to sire reduces with age. There is potential no doubt, but the chances get slimmer with time,” says Dr Muchiri.
In a study reported in a 2004 issue of the American Journal of Gynecology, researchers concluded that a man’s chances of fathering a child decrease with each passing year. In the study, the odds of a successful pregnancy fell by 11 per cent every year. A separate team of German researchers carried out a research in the same year, concluding that the volume and motility (ability to swim towards an egg) of sperms decline with age.
The study, published in Human Reproduction Update journal, further disclosed that the sperm structure changes as a man ages.
That’s the bad news for ageing men.
The good news though, says Dr Muchiri, is that with a healthy lifestyle, a man can comfortably sire healthy children even at an advanced age.
Sperm count
“Healthy lifestyle includes regular exercises to keep fit. If you are growing old and you are obese, or grappling with weight problems, you are worse off as far as fertility is concerned. Eating healthy foods in right proportions (50 per cent of your plate should always be vegetables) is one way of staying healthy,” she adds.
Losing weight, advises Dr Muchiri, may lead to improved sperm count.
Medics also advise men to increase their intake of zinc (from naturally growing organic foods like watermelon and greens) to improve their fertility.
If you have tried for over a year or more and still can’t get a baby, Dr Muchiri recommends that you visit a fertility specialist to assess the situation and and come up with a solution.