Infertility rate high in IT sector

HYDERABAD: Medical case studies in urban areas of the country are pointing to the fact that infertility is becoming a health challenge in the country. Out of around 250 million individuals estimated to be attempting parenthood at any given time, 13 to 19 million couples are likely to be infertile. Close study of national census revealed that infertility has risen by 50 percent in the country. Taking a serious look at the increasing number of software professionals who seek help, out of 100 couples, at least 15 per cent need treatment for infertility. Of these, 40 per cent is due to male infertility. However, the term may also refer to the state of a woman who is unable to carry a pregnancy for a full term. There is also something called unexplained infertility, where doctors fail to come up with a medical explanation for the couple’s inability to conceive. FactorsThe infertility rate is increasing as a result of increased stress, competitive work environment, hectic and fast paced lives,  imbalanced and erratic lifestyles, obesity, irregular body cycles, urbanisation, environmental toxins, delayed marriage, prolonged family planning and priority to career advancement over commencing family, among others, says Dr H Narmada Devi, gynaecological endoscopic surgeon and fertility specialist at Narmada Fertility Center. CausesSome common causes of infertility in men are irregular sperm production, hampered sperm delivery due to either erectile dysfunction or early ejaculation, presence of medical conditions such as obesity that may hamper sperm production, certain infections such as Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), and lifestyle conditions such as diet imbalance, addiction to smoking or alcoholism, sedentary existence, or mental and emotional stress, all of which contribute to poor sperm count. Most of the time, men who work on a laptop at home place it on their lap and work. Due to the heat it produces for a prolonged time and radiation generated, it adversely affects the production of the sperms. “High pressure information technology jobs, erratic work and sleeping schedules, long hours of working, working in nights sleeping during the days adversely affect hormones is the another reason why high-pressure info-tech world is taking a toll of the fertility of its professionals,” says Dr Narmada.In women, hectic lifestyle and job stress contribute to conception problems. A very common cause is poly-cystic ovary disease (PCOD), a condition characterized by excess production of hormones and lack of ovulation. There is also delayed marriage and deferred childbirth among couples; by the time the new-age, career-oriented urban Indian woman is ready to have a child, her biological clock has already slowed down, and she needs the help of artificial and assisted technology for childbirth. TreatmentsAdvanced fertility treatments include IVF or in vitro fertilization, in which case the eggs are removed from the woman’s ovaries and fertilized with sperms in a fluid medium before transferring it to the woman’s uterus; IUI or intrauterine insemination, which is a treatment used to increase the number of sperms reaching the fallopian tubes, therefore increasing the chance of fertilization.