Researchers at the University of Washington have found that a glass of red wine a week helps female fertility. It is likely that the merit of antioxidants that abound in red wine.

Resveratrol is a key molecule in grapes of red grapes, cocoa and blueberries. It protects cells from biological stress and helps them live more and better. It is present in many foods, but red wine is not particularly rich.

Scientists interviewed 135 women between the ages of 18 and 44 on alcohol consumption. Each of them had to score how many spirits consumed every month and what kind. The researchers also examined the health status of women's ovaries and the number of remaining oocytes.

Beyond factors such as age and health, women who regularly consumed red wine had more oocytes. The benefits would be particularly marked in women who consumed 1-5 glasses of wine per month. We talk about regular, but moderate, non-daily consumption.

The results must be taken with caution. A link is obvious, but it is not known whether the merit is all about red wine or whether there are other factors in play. It will be necessary to consider a wider sample of women, also considering other elements. It is also important to remember that even a minimal exposure to alcohol can be detrimental to an embryo in the early stages of development.

Source: independent.co.uk

Male infertility is related to dysfunctions in different organs and tissues, which can not always be identified with certainty. Some of these are permanent, but others are manageable with lifestyle changes. The main causes are pre-testicular, testicular and post-testicular.

Pre-testicular causes are related to hormones that regulate testicular functions. The most common causes are the functioning of the pituitary gland, a fundamental endocrine gland for spermatogenesis. In some cases the gland does not produce enough FSH, the hormone that regulates the production of spermatozoa. By placing the testicles in optimum conditions, fertility should also be restored.

Testicular causes are the most common and concern the very structure of the testes. In the case of cryptorchidism, the testicles remain within the abdomen, reversible condition. Those suffering from varicocele, however, have veins of the testicle too dilated. This condition increases the body temperature, killing the sperm, and damaging the production itself. Finally, there are orchitis, that is, testicular inflammation that can damage the mechanisms of spermatogenesis.

Post-testicular causes touch the sperm passage outside of the gonads. In these cases infertility is caused by the failure of sperm output, which remain blocked. Obstruction can be caused by congenital malformations or with time. In some cases the cause is an inflammation or an alternate response of the immune system, which attacks spermatozoa.