Childless couples: Male infertility to blame in 50 per cent cases, say experts

Bengaluru: The fast paced and unhealthy lifestyle is taking a toll on the fertility rates among young couples and medical experts claim that quite often it is due to male infertility, thereby busting the myth that inability to conceive is primarily a female problem.

Experts lament that due to social stigma, many male fertility problems go undiagnosed and untreated in India and the state. City doctors claim that almost in half of the infertility cases the male factor was to blame. “There is an increase in male infertility cases and nearly 45-50% cases of infertility is due to male factor.

This is because of the unhealthy lifestyle changes such as stress, pollution, poor diet and smoking,” said Dr Aviva Pinto, Fertility Consultant, Nova IVI Fertility.
According to reports, male infertility accounts for 35-40% of infertility cases, and in 15% of cases it is both male and female factors (also known as mixed infertility).

"Medical science has advanced enough to help men with poor sperm count father a baby, but unhealthy lifestyle choices -smoking, alcohol and binge eating are taking a toll. Tobacco use affects spermatogenesis and has been linked with low sperm count. Not only can smoking have unfavorable effects on male semen parameters, it may also reduce the success of assisted reproduction techniques, such as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI),” Dr Chitra Ramamurthy, obstetrician and gynaecologist from Apollo Hospital.

It is also reported that 65% of the infertile patients are over 29 years of age and it is more common between ages 29 and 35 years. Dr Aviva also said that age of a patient is a factor.

On the other hand due to rise in career consciousness and other factors, many couples are choosing to delay child-bearing. “Fertility peaks and then decreases over time in both men and women. Thus the reproductive timeline may be one aspect to consider when determining the ideal time to start a family,” Dr Aviva added.

Dr Nirmala Chandrashekar, Consultant Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Gynaec Oncology, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospitals said, “Sperm problems contribute to about 40% of infertility cases. Varicocele or an enlargement of the veins within the scrotum, infection of epididymis and testes, retrograde ejaculation, STDs and other conditions can lead to infertility in men.”

She also pointed that the key to diagnosis of male infertility is a semen analysis, which assesses primarily sperm numbers, sperm movement and sperm form.
“In some cases, both the man and woman may be infertile or sub-fertile, and the couple's infertility arises from the combination of these conditions. Treatment depends on the cause of infertility, but may include counselling, fertility treatments, which include IVF,” Dr Nirmala added.

As per a multi-centric study conducted by WHO (World Health Organisation) between 1982 and 1985, 20% of the infertility cases were attributed to male problems. However, a recent report on the status of infertility in India established that nearly 50% of infertility is related to the reproductive anomalies in the male.