Over the years, Dr. Brian Levine has been cited as one of the nation’s leading fertility experts in The New Yorker, New York Post, NBC, CNN, Avenue Magazine among others, offering valuable insight on everything from fertility misconceptions, egg-freezing 101, to how men can boost their fertility. Dr. Levine attended New York University School of Medicine, served as the President of the NYU Alumni Association, and was the only physician on NYU’s Board of Trustees during his 7-year tenure. Recently he was awarded the Meritorious Service Award, the highest award bestowed upon an alumnus for their extraordinary service and continuing devotion to NYU and who embodies the University motto: To Persevere and to Excel.
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Did you know that the chances of infertility are equal for men and women? Statistics show infertility is 40% due to men, 40% due to women, and 20% due to a combination or the unknown. That being said…men, this one’s for you. When you decide not to show up for a fertility exam, know that you can’t always rely on IVF to fix anything, and you are indeed a part of the equation. It takes two to tango. Haute MD expert Dr. Brian Levine is on a mission to educate and prevent the preventable causes of infertility for all. Based on Dr. Levine’s experience in fertility, he has seen common trends in the actions of his patients. Here’s a perfect scenario:
You feel healthy. You look healthy. So why would you or your partner ever assume that you’d run into an issue regarding fertility? You wouldn’t. In that case, why would a proper screening and testing ever be warranted?
Fast forward – your wife is now trying to get pregnant; you are trying a million different things to conceive and ultimately, you go to get examined. While you are in the room with your partner, you reveal to not only her but the doctor that you have been taking testosterone (the male contraceptive). Boom – you have discovered the root cause of it all.
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While the trend continues to persist as a huge red flag in the world of fertility, Dr. Levine recommends two things:
1. Communicate with your partner and doctor. If you and your partner were upfront to begin with, infertility would not be at the forefront of your relationship. Conversations can go a long way.
2. From the moment you discuss conceiving with your partner, head on over to a fertility expert. This way you’ll get the proper guidance from the beginning to the end of your journey. And by the way, there is no “bad” time to go in for screening. Do note a women’s timeline is different than yours.
Now once you go in to see a fertility expert, what are the things they would tell you to implement daily or avoid?
- Avoid tight shorts or undergarments
- Avoid hot baths
- Avoid steam rooms
- Adopt a healthy lifestyle (limit drinking, smoking)
- Take a generic multivitamin daily
- Get regular checkups
The sooner you implement these tips into your everyday lives, the higher your fertility chances will be and, in the long run, your health. Keep in mind that change does not happy overnight. In fact, it will take three months for your health improvements to show up in your sperm parameters.
Dr. Levine understands that you might be overwhelmed with all these tips. So, take make your lives easy, begin with implementing a healthy lifestyle and taking a generic over-the-counter multivitamin. A healthy lifestyle can include what Dr. Levine calls the “male fertility diet.” It is the most basic training and diet known to mankind. Eat low inflammatory foods, low carbs, high proteins, and eat more natural than processed foods.
In light of men’s health month and the continued love Dr. Levine has to educate his patients and beyond, he also took the time to sit down with a few of his colleagues, Dr. Robert Mordkin of LetsGetChecked, Dr. Peter Schlegel of Weill Cornell Medicine, and Registered Dietician & Nutritionist Amy Shapiro of Real Nutrition NYC to talk all things men's health.
For more information, visit Dr. Brian A. Levine's social media:
