Peter Attia MD351 ‒ Male fertility: optimizing reproductive health, treating infertility, & navigating TRT
Episode Details
EPISODE INFO
- Released
- June 2, 2025
- Duration
- 2h 37m
- Channel
- Peter Attia MD
- Watch on YouTube
- ▶ Open ↗
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
This is part one of a two-part mini-series on fertility & reproductive health, with next week's guest, Dr. Paula Amato, focusing on the female side of the equation. Paul Turek is a world-renowned expert in male fertility & reproductive health, the founder & medical director of the Turek Clinic, & host of the Talk with Turek podcast. In this episode, Paul explores the topic of male fertility, offering a detailed look at the complex & highly coordinated process of conception & the many challenges sperm face on their journey to fertilizing an egg. He shares fascinating insights into how sperm work together to navigate the female reproductive tract, how environmental factors like heat, stress, & toxins impact sperm quality, & what men can do to improve their reproductive health. Paul also dispels common myths about testosterone replacement therapy & its effects on fertility, providing strategies for preserving fertility while on TRT. The episode also highlights cutting-edge advances in reproductive medicine, from genetic testing & sperm sorting to emerging treatments for infertility. View show notes here: https://bit.ly/4dJCmSX Become a member to receive exclusive content: https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/ Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/ 0:00:00-Intro 0:01:12-The complex & hostile journey sperm must take to fertilize an egg 0:08:15-How sperm are made & the continuous renewal influenced by environmental factors 0:14:53-The built-in filter that weeds out genetically abnormal sperm 0:18:57-How sperm are finalized in form & function 0:28:33-How to optimize conception through the timing of sex, ejaculation frequency, & understanding the sperm lifecycle 0:37:03-Male infertility & Paul’s diagnostic approach: detailed history, a physical exam, & identifying red flags 0:44:43-Viral infections that can affect the testes & potentially lead to sterility 0:50:50-Semen analysis: morphology, motility, & hormonal clues to male fertility 1:03:53-Effects of medication, microplastics, stress, & exercise on fertility 1:13:54-Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) & male fertility 1:35:50-Restoring fertility after prolonged use of exogenous testosterone 1:48:24-Effects of heat & cold exposure on fertility 1:55:05-How different levels of exercise—especially cycling—affect male fertility 2:00:00-How alcohol, marijuana, & nicotine affect male fertility 2:04:31-Why type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for male infertility 2:05:54-How varicoceles—a common cause of male infertility—are diagnosed & treated 2:09:10-Genetic factors that affect fertility 2:12:08-The impact of lifestyle & environmental exposures on fertility 2:16:44-The evidence (or lack thereof) behind stem cell & PRP therapies for male infertility, & how lifestyle & non-invasive interventions often lead to successful conception 2:22:14-Considerations for sperm banking, & how paternal age impacts fertility & offspring health 2:33:35-Semen quality as a biomarker -------- About: The Peter Attia Drive is a deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing longevity, & all that goes into that from physical to cognitive to emotional health. With over 90 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including exercise, nutritional biochemistry, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, & much more. Peter Attia is the founder of Early Medical, a medical practice that applies the principles of Medicine 3.0 to patients with the goal of lengthening their lifespan & simultaneously improving their healthspan. Learn more: https://peterattiamd.com Connect with Peter on: Facebook: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDTW Instagram: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDIG Subscribe to The Drive: Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveApplePodcasts Overcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveOvercast Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheDriveSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheDriveGoogle Disclaimer: This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services, including the giving of medical advice. No doctor-patient relationship is formed. The use of this information and the materials linked to this podcast is at the user's own risk. The content on this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they have, and they should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions. I take conflicts of interest very seriously. For all of my disclosures and the companies I invest in or advise, please visit my website where I keep an up-to-date and active list of such companies. For a full list of our registered and unregistered trademarks, trade names, and service marks, please review our Terms of Use: https://peterattiamd.com/terms-of-use/
SPEAKERS
Paul Turek
guestMale fertility urologist and researcher specializing in optimizing reproductive health and treating male infertility.
Peter Attia
hostPhysician and host of The Drive podcast focused on longevity and performance medicine.
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Peter Attia MD, featuring Paul Turek and Peter Attia, 351 ‒ Male fertility: optimizing reproductive health, treating infertility, & navigating TRT explores urologist Paul Turek on Sperm Biology, Infertility, TRT, and Lifestyle Factors Turek describes the sperm's hostile journey and production process, in which about 100 million sperm start out and only around 100 reach the fallopian tube, with sperm taking roughly 74 days to make.
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