Cold Plunges for Fertility: Can Cold Exposure Improve Reproductive Health?

Reproductive health refers to overall mental, physical, and social well-being in everything associated with the reproductive system, its processes and functions. While there are hardly any studies about cold plunges and fertility, exposure to cold water can indirectly impact fertility due to its proven benefits, like enhancing circulation and reducing stress and inflammation. Read on to understand the connection between cold water exposure and reproductive health in men and women. But first, let’s explore the fertility crisis.

Understanding the Fertility Crisis

In the past decade and a half, birth rates, particularly in the US, have dropped from 68 births per 1000 women in 2007 to less than 60 in 2022. Why is this happening? One common reason is that women focus on their careers instead of having children or having smaller families. Cautious family planning is also a key factor, yet it’s difficult to ignore the fact that many couples are anguished, especially after trying to have children for many years. 

According to health statistics, couple fertility in developed countries is steadily declining. For instance, sperm counts dropped by over 50% between the early 1970’s and late 2010’s. Testosterone levels associated with sexual function and libido in women and men have registered a steep decline as well. The average testosterone levels in young and adolescent males dropped to 450 ng/dL in the mid-2010s from 600 ng/dL in the early 2000s.

In women, the top cause of infertility below the age of 35 is PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). In this condition, fluid-filled pouches form close to the ovaries, interfering with ovarian function. Both PCOS in women and low testosterone in men are associated with insulin resistance, obesity, and high body mass index or metabolism. 

Understanding Metabolic Fertility

Reproduction and sexual function can be metabolically demanding, and metabolic complications can disrupt these functions. Two forms of irregularities can interfere with fertility: overfeeding and starvation.

Immersing yourself in the best cold plunge may not help with nutrient or starvation deficiencies. But, cold plunging can be ideal for overfeeding disorders like insulin resistance caused by excess carbohydrate intake. So, what problems do nutritional and caloric deficits present in fertility?

How Starvation Affects Male Fertility

Healthy men can generate over 100 million sperm per day. Despite the impressive numbers, the overall volume of synthesized material is minimal. In the event of caloric deficiency, the male body preserves metabolic resources.  Testosterone levels decline first, which can weaken sexual function. Over-starvation can trigger a reduction in sperm production.

Starvation in the modern developed world among men in their prime fertility age is uncommon. However, micronutrition deficiencies caused by poor-quality diet are more common. For instance, deficiencies in folate or zinc can result from testes disorders, but supplementation has been an effective solution for a section of sub fertile men.

The Impact of Starvation on Women

The metabolic needs of conception, pregnancy, and breastfeeding are huge for women. As a result, prolonged low body fat composition and caloric deficit are associated with low female fertility. There are two core conditions in the developed world under which fertility disorders can persist. They are:

• Extreme physical training and exercise
• Eating disorders like anorexia nervosa

In both cases, low body fat levels can lead to hormonal complications that can disrupt ovulation, causing menstrual dysfunction. Anorexia nervosa is specifically tragic, considering the mortality among the victims is higher than other mental disorders. Further, recovery rates are low.

Anorexia nervosa treatments focus on the critical dangers of starvation but ignore the primary psychological disorders. As a result, approximately 20% of survivors don’t show lasting improvement. Recent evidence reveals that the anxiolytic impact of a ketogenic diet can facilitate refeeding for anorexic nervosa patients with a high protein and animal fat diet.

According to cold plunging experts, exposure to cold water is the quickest method of stimulating endogenous ketone discharge. One survey suggested that over half of participants with eating disorders approved cold plunging as an effective method of promoting fat loss. 

How Overfeeding Affects Men’s Reproductive Health

Overfeeding or obesity is associated with reduced fertility due to various factors such as sleep apnoea, type 2 diabetes, sexual dysfunction, insulin resistance, and hormone disorders. The effects of insulin resistance, particularly, can be brutal to male fertility and sexual function in various ways.

For instance, there’s a strong relationship between erectile dysfunction (ED) and insulin resistance, so much so that ED is said to be a clinical marker of insulin resistance. Further, insulin resistance interferes with testicular function and is linked to low testosterone.

By immersing themselves in a cold plunge tub, men can improve insulin sensitivity without working out or changing their diet. Cold water exposure activates brown fat while triggering non-shivering thermogenesis, eliminating excess glucose, and facilitating heat production. 

Understanding Insulin Resistance in Women

Insulin resistance manifests itself in pre-menopausal women through PCOS. There is a strong link between metabolic disorders and PCOS. The impact of insulin resistance on testosterone in women and men is different. After recruiting premenopausal women without and with PCOS to participate in a study about the connection between skin temperature and brown activation, they opined that women with PCOS have lower brown fat activity than those without.

To determine whether cold water exposure could improve PCOS by introducing brown fats to rats, researchers placed animals in a thermostatic incubator for 20 days at 4°C. They concluded that cold exposure improved Brown adipose tissue. Further, the cold exposure reduced high luteinizing hormone, crucial for fertility in adults, and testosterone levels. In conclusion, the researchers said cold water exposure can reverse hyperandrogenism and restore ovarian cyclicity. 

Cold Plunges for Reproductive Health

Couples looking forward to conceiving and birthing a child should consider the metabolic facets of fertility and sexual function. Generally, cold plunging promotes fertility in women and men who consume a diet containing low-linoleic fats and protein. If infertility is caused by energy deficit or inadequate body fat, then cold plunging will hardly help.

Cold plunging supports reproductive and sexual health by activating and introducing brown fat to rectify metabolic disorders and regulate abnormal testosterone levels. In men, exercising to rewarm after a cold water immersion session can increase testosterone levels, cool the testes, and improve sperm production.

For women, exercising after a cold plunging session is not necessary. In a study evaluating the connection between cold water exposure and testosterone, researchers found that a few minutes of cold water immersion in healthy women could increase testosterone levels significantly.

However, in women with PCOS who experience excess testosterone, cold water exposure could lower testosterone levels by fixing PCOS. Overall, a cold plunging routine could regulate testosterone in women, lowering it when it's too high and raising it when it's overly low. 

Other tips to help men and women improve their reproductive health include:

Take folic acid: Women can purchase folic acid over the counter to improve ovulation and reduce the risk of bearing a child with a neural tube disorder.

Limit alcohol intake: Heavy drinking has been associated with low testosterone production, reduced sperm production, and impotence. Men and women should drink in moderation or quit drinking. 

Maintain a healthy weight: Being overweight or underweight can prevent you from ovulating, increasing your chances of having irregular cycles. 

Get adequate sleep: According to a study by the National Institute of Health, lack of restful sleep and poor sleep habits can affect women's and men’s wellness differently. It’s important to get enough sleep. 

Finally

More research is required to conclusively determine the impact of cold plunging on improved reproductive health. However, cold water immersion can address some of the factors that contribute to infertility, such as insulin resistance, by activating brown fat and reducing the luteinizing hormone to support fertility.