Greater need for awareness on male infertility

CHENNAI: It is not always the women who should be blamed for not being able to conceive a child, for male infertility contributes 40 per cent towards it, asserts Dr Kavitha Gautham, Director, Bloom Fertility Centre.Speaking on the sidelines of a fertility screening camp at the Bloom Fertility Centre on Sunday, Dr Kavitha said, “Women are mostly blamed by the husbands, relatives and the  society for not being able to conceive a child. Male infertility contributes 40 per cent towards it. Men have great difficulty in admitting their problems and getting treatment compared to women.”Talking about male infertility, she said low sperm count accounts for 40-50 per cent of male infertility followed by erectile dysfunction.Pointing out the reasons for the rise in male infertility in the recent past, she said, “Stress at work, complete lack of work-life balance, sedentary lifestyle, excessive caffeine intake, smoking and drinking are the  major contributors.”Dr Kavitha also said, “Discussing male infertility is still a taboo. Men hardly discuss their problems. They are not very comfortable talking about it. And also there is very poor level of awareness among the couples and families about male infertility. There is a huge need for awareness and psychological counselling for people to come forward with their issues to the fertility specialist, so that their problems could be addressed and resolved.”Medical fraternity should come forward to conduct more sensitisation programmes for the GPs (General Practitioners) to refer people to the specialist so that the interventions can start soon without wasting time.She also had a word of advice for the couples: “Spouses have to try and find free time together every day. Taking holidays together at least once in six months is very healthy. Keeping yourself physically fit with regular exercise and yoga is very good  for de-stressing and relaxation, which will go a long way in improving sexual health.”In the past two days, about 70 couples were screened and given counselling and further treatment plan.