Researchers at a leading West Country fertility clinic are looking for volunteers to help them establish how intermittent fasting affects sperm production.

Jen Nisbett, a senior clinical embryologist at the Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM), is reaching out to find men aged between 18 and 44 in the Bristol area to become involved in the study.

Jen, who is leading the NHS England-funded trial, said: “We need 40 recruits to take part and we hope they’ll be encouraged not just because their participation is vital for this potentially ground-breaking research but also because time-restricted eating is reported to have a positive impact on both the body and brain.”

The trial will target men coming to BCRM for sperm test analysis and will link up with fertility clinics at Southmead and St Michael’s hospitals in Bristol.

Participants must only eat between 11am and 7pm and fast for the remaining 16 hours within a 24-hour period. They will be required to attend the clinic, once at the start and once at the end of the trial.

Jen Nisbett said: “It is so important to step up academic research in this area because male infertility is a factor in half of all cases where a couple are struggling to have a baby.

“There’s a huge body of research on female infertility and treatments like IVF and intrauterine insemination (IUI), but nothing like the same level around male infertility.

“With sperm counts halving in the past 40 years and still in decline, there is an urgent need for more research into the causes and the implications for society, and we’re hoping our new study will help provide some answers.”

In addition to basic sperm analysis, semen samples will be evaluated for oxidative stress using a system called MiOXSYS, and then sent to the University of Manchester’s Biological Mass Spectrometry facility for further analysis.

This study is being conducted by BCRM in collaboration with Manchester Metropolitan University; the results will be published in a DClinSci thesis and may also be published in academic journals and at scientific conferences.

Anyone who is interested in taking part can obtain more information by emailing research@bcrm.clinic

BCRM www.fertilitybristol.com has one of the best success rates with IVF and other fertility treatments in the UK and is involved in innovative research covering a range of fertility issues.

The fertility clinic is based at Aztec West, near the intersection of the M4 and M5 motorways, giving easy access for patients throughout the South West and Wales as well as further afield.