One in seven American couples can't conceive after a year of trying. And while the conversation about infertility is often framed as a woman's issue, a third of fertility problems come from the male side of things. In the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning the right to abortion, it's a good time for men to take an active role in thinking about reproductive health and family planning. This could mean being (even more) thoughtful about contraception. But on the flip side, if you're trying to get a woman pregnant, or you think you might want to get a woman pregnant in the future, there are steps you can take to optimize your chances and make sure your semen is as healthy as it can be. Here's what you should know about your reproductive health, optimizing your sperm, and options you have if you're struggling to get pregnant as a couple.

Get a sperm analysis

Getting an analysis of your sperm gives you all sorts of valuable information about both your reproductive potential and your overall health. In the past, these kinds of tests were prohibitively expensive and hard to get. But the days of dirty magazines and a waiting nurse in the doctor's office are mostly done with. Online direct-to-consumer companies like Ro and Legacy allow you to produce a sample at home and send it off overnight for testing.

Ro Semen Analysis Kit$199

Ro

Legacy For Today$195

Legacy

"With your test, we give you a lot of different information,” said Khaled Kteily, CEO of Legacy. “You get an analysis of your volume, which is how much semen you produce. You get a count, which is the number of sperm in your sample. You get a concentration which is the ratio between semen and sperm. You get motility, which is how well sperm are moving. And then morphology, which is how normal or abnormal your sperm is. All of these things contribute to how easy or difficult it will be to conceive."

Knowing what you're working with allows you to better assess your likelihood of getting someone pregnant, at least on your side of things. It also allows you to start taking steps to optimize your sperm count if that's something you and the medical professionals involved decide is necessary.

Look at environmental factors impacting your semen

Sperm count has declined by fifty percent over the last 40 years. There are a number of different factors that have contributed to that statistic. Studies point at everything from the chemicals in our cleaners, to our food sources, to the clothes we wear. People have even speculated on our phones negatively impacting our semen. While you can't fully opt out of the modern realities of day-to-day existence, your doctor can make suggestions about the most impactful changes you can make to help things along.

"Our fertility can potentially be suppressed by heat. The number of patients that I see on a daily basis that take hot baths or jump into saunas after a workout is staggering…hot water or even taking hot showers can also be potentially impactful," said Doctor Amin Sedaghat Herati, Assistant Professor of Urology at Johns Hopkins and Ro Sperm Kit Medical Advisor. "I tell patients to avoid processed foods to the extent it’s possible. And if they can switch to more organic cleansing agents, that's better than using harsh chemicals."

One very concrete step you could take? Dr. Herati also suggested boxers over briefs to help keep the testicles cool. 

Consider freezing your sperm

As you get older your sperm decreases in concentration making it more difficult to conceive. That can be a hard truth to swallow, especially since many couples are now getting pregnant later in life. A number of risk factors for the child also go up when deciding to become a father while getting on in years.

“Using sperm over the age of 45 has been shown to increase the risk of many conditions including learning disorders, genetic conditions such as down syndrome, trisomy eighteen, potential malignancies of the blood—all these things increase,” said Dr. Herati. ”It’s open to debate what age is technically considered 'advanced.' Some people say 40, some people say 45. But if somebody banks their sperm at 20, they never have to think about the potential of these factors."

The good news is that it's also now easier than ever to freeze your semen. This allows you to access younger and healthier semen down the road if you're not trying to conceive in the immediate future. It also works as a safeguard in case of any unforeseen events such as injuries, cancer, or other sicknesses.

Storage of frozen sperm generally runs from $100 to $500 a year. Both testing companies above offer freezing options, but you also might want to check what your health insurance covers. 

Look at all your options

If you're not able to conceive through penetrative sex, there are other options available to you. With intrauterine insemination, sperm is collected into a sterile container, washed, concentrated, and placed into the uterus during ovulation. The procedure can increase the likelihood of a pregnancy. Statistics show that intrauterine insemination has approximately a seventeen percent chance of success for couples experiencing male factor infertility. You might also consider in vitro fertilization (IVF), where sperm and eggs are introduced to each other in a petri dish with the hope of fertilization, though that’s more typically used to combat fertility issues in women. \

In general, fertility issues are far more common than we realize. But with a little bit of preparation and foresight—and a fairly modest investment to assess and freeze your sperm—it’s easy to put yourself in the best position possible for whenever you want to have a kid.

More Great Wellness Stories From GQ

The Only 6 Exercises You Need to Get a Six-Pack

You Should Be Doing Hamstring Stretches Every Day—Here’s Why (and 7 To Try)

The Many Stealthy Ways Creatine Boosts Your Health

Flexibility Is a Key to Longevity. Here’s How to Improve Yours, According to Experts

How to Actually Build Muscle When You Work Out

Not a subscriber? Join GQ to receive full access to GQ.com.

Related Stories for GQHealthSex and Relationships