Impotence in men, cause of heartache for one in every three infertile couples

More than a decade ago, infertility was synonymous to women, but not anymore as a rising number of cases have male infertility as the centre of the issue. Dr Madhupriya, Fertility Consultant, Nova IVI Fertility, Chennai, says, “In the past few months, at our centre, we have seen male infertility as the sole reason in 33-35 per cent of the cases and in 50 per cent of the cases, it is one of the factors. The numbers are definitely rising.” 

The majority of the male infertility patients in Chennai fall under the young age group between 29 and 35. Over 65% of infertile patients in the city are over 29 years of age, she adds Madhupriya observes that late marriages, delay in decision to start a family, drinking and smoking habits, extensive gadget use and erratic sleep habits are some of the reasons. “However, we don’t have a study zeroing in on the main reason,” she says. 

The pressure of education and work affects men more, though women too face the same pressure nowadays, points out Dr Saravanan Lakshmanan, andrologist, ARC International Fertility and Research Centre. He adds, “Travelling long distances on two-wheelers in the tropical climate also adds to the stress levels.” 

Experts add that there are a number of factors causing male infertility, while sexual dysfunction is a dominant one at 6-10 per cent.  Dr Madhupriya says about 25% of male infertility is because of azoospermia, i.e. absence of viable sperms in the semen. 

“Factors causing male infertility could be both reversible and irreversible. In some cases, the semen production could be an issue and in some though the production could be normal, but the tubes meant for transporting (vas deferens) the semen are absent.” Sexual dysfunction again is of two kinds, says Dr Saravanan. “One kind is due to poor lifestyle and the other is induced – it is more of the psychological kind arising from performance anxiety,” he says. The good news is that infertility is no longer looked at as a woman’s concern. 

Dr Saravanan says, “Today, couples seek guidance to address the problem together.” Dr Madhupriya adds that given the rising numbers, awareness and education are important. “Chennai is catching up with other cities. Apart from lifestyle changes we also require good health education among youngsters,” she says.