AS INFERTILITY RISES, EXPERTS STRESS NEED TO BATTLE STIGMA, MISINFORMATION

Infertility should not been seen as a 'woman's problem' doctors say that equal evaluation and empathy must form the cornerstone of treatment

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Infertility is on the rise in India: now the statistics are also showing it. A 2023 research paper, 'Surging trends of infertility and its behavioural determinants in India' published in Plos One, found that the rates of infertility in couples in India was 22.4% in 1992-93, surged to 25.3% in 2005-06 and then further spiked to 30.7% in 2015-16. And unlike what is commonly believed, men contribute to infertility issues about 40 to 50% of the time. What is behind these rising rates? Doctors point to changing lifestyles, obesity and unhealthy diet choices are some major factors.

Doctors say that globally, the quality of sperm has been decreasing, which is one of the major contributing factors to the rise in infertility. Another major factor is the fact that couples now, in general, start planning their families later than they did in earlier generations, which potentially decreases their chances of conception as the sperm quality declines in the male partner with age, while the egg reserve reduces in the female partner.

Runa Bal, professor at Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital, who has worked with infertility issues for a long time, says addiction to various substances as well as sedentary lifestyles are also contributing factors. "Be it addiction to tobacco, alcohol, drugs, or sitting in one position for long hours inside the office all of these add to the problem of infertility.

Working in a heated area can also reduce sperm quality in men," Dr. Bal further added. That is why she says that a semen sample test is the first step in understanding infertility issues in couples, because it is a non-invasive test, unlike the ones performed in women.