Can Tight Pants Prevent Conception? The Answer Will Surprise You

There is a lot to think about when it comes to conception. Time of the month, the right kind of lubrication, and the right position, to name a few. Then there's the do's and don'ts of what you and your partner should be up to in order to grow the healthiest eggs and sperm that could potentially result in conception. So, can tight pants prevent conception? The answer, it turns out, is pretty surprising.

While tight pants are of little-to-no concern for women who are trying to conceive (TTC), Professor Allan Pacey of the University of Sheffield told Telegraph that "men should avoid wearing tight underwear and should start trying for a family before they reach 40 if they want to have children." In other words, if your partner wears tight boxers and/or underwear, and perhaps even tight pants, his sperm production could be negatively impacted.

Gynaecologist Dr. Gillian Lockwood added to Pacey's findings, telling Telegraph, "the modern penchant for close-fitting undergarments went against thousands of years of human practice." Lockwood goes on to explain, saying:

"If you imagine during the evolutionary time, our chaps would have been strolling across the Savannah with a bit of bearskin tied around their middles, otherwise going commando."

If you're trying to conceive and haven't been having any luck, it might be worthwhile to ask your partner to invest in several pairs of boxer briefs.

So what else can your partner do to encourage healthy sperm growth while you're trying to conceive? Parents says alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and marijuana can all affect sperm growth and health, so he'll want to cut down on (or quit) consuming any of the aforementioned substances if he partakes. Parents also suggests your partner add regular exercise to his daily and/or weekly routine, as well as a multivitamin designed to aid in male fertility.

Infertility is defined as a couple actively trying to get pregnant for a year or longer without success. According to US News, infertility affects up to 12 percent of the population of reproductive age, so about 7.3 million couples. Male infertility affects up to half of couples who experience infertility.

The Mayo Clinic goes on to say men who experience infertility might notice symptoms other than not being able to conceive a child, such as problems with sexual function, pain or lumps in the testicle area, recurrent chest infections or even an inability to smell.

Of course, there's also a significant chicken and egg problem with infertility. The Harvard Health Publications at Harvard Medical School says, infertility can be caused by additional stress on you or your partner, but it can also cause additional stress. While it seems easier said than done, eliminating stress generally helps increase your chances of being able to conceive.

If you or your partner is experiencing any of these symptoms, you should make an appointment with your doctor for fertility testing. There are numerous variables associated with your reproductive health that can be easily "fixed." Delaying seeing a doctor just because having problems trying to conceive can be an embarrassing thing to talk about with a relative stranger, though, will simply prolong the problem.