Most men not ready to deal with infertility: Experts

When a couple approached Dr Aruna Ashok, fertility Consultant at Nova IVI Fertility, after trying for a baby for over a year, they were told that the husband had a low sperm count. When they were asked to come back for treatment after discussing it among themselves, they didn’t turn up at all. Dr Aruna says, “Even at a time when male infertility is common, there are men and their families who don’t want to address it. We have seen women suffer because of their partner’s infertility issues. They tell us, they don’t know how to deal with their husband’s complex. His parents too find it unacceptable to address the issue and leave the woman in the lurch. Even during IVF procedures, the participation by men is negligible.” 

According to recent studies by NOVA, 30-35 per cent of infertility cases had male infertility as the core factor and in 50 per cent of the cases, it is one of the reasons. A majority of these cases were between 29 and 35 years of age. The  study also attributed male infertility to azoospermia or absence of viable sperms in the semen, varicocele, an enlargement of the veins that wraps around the testicles and affects sperm development, congenital obstruction and sexual dysfunctions.  

Dr TK Shaanthy Gunasingh, Head of Department and professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Kilpauk Medical College and programme director, Centre of Excellence for Tubal Microsurgery, says that passing the blame on women for infertility issues is extremely common among  patients from the middle and lower income groups, though it is marginally better among the educated. “Male infertility as a factor is also found to be a more dominant cause of infertility among couples. But the onus is on specialists to make them understand that they have to function together to procreate. Since we have a number of couples coming from the villages across Tamil Nadu, alcohol consumption is a major factor. But in some cases, we have seen that when counselled properly, the men are willing to cooperate,” she says. 

They also point out that increasing awareness was the only way ahead. Dr C Geetha Haripriya, chairperson, Prashanth Multispeciality Hospital, and medical director, Prashanth Fertility Research Centre, says that over decades though male infertility has been rising, the awareness has been slowly increasing. 

She says, “There has always been huge gap between the reality and public perspective when it comes to male infertility. But today, we have newer tests like computer assisted sperm analysis and DNA fragmentation tests that can pinpoint issues with infertility among men. We must continue to address it through the technology available and add momentum to awareness programmes. There is also a need to address the |causes like poor lifestyle and work stress.”