Have you ever wondered why it is only females who respond to altar calls for fertility prayers in churches and other places of worship? Or why the compositions of many infertility advocate groups are more of the women folks? This is because of the erroneous belief in our clime that infertility issues are on the exclusive list of the female in the pregnancy process.
Male Infertility
Did you know that men cause 40% of infertility problems while most times it’s the females who shoulder the burden of infertility? An Obstetrics and Gynecologist expert, Dr Babajide Alalade, the convener of the AskTheGynacologist (ATG) group, an online platform proffering solutions to infertility challenges said males contribute not a small share to the infertility challenges in the pregnancy process but ask fewer questions about infertility solutions. According to Babajide, “Men don’t ask for directions. They do not go to the doctor for help. They do not ask anybody for help, they just soldier on. Men must understand that asking for help is not a death sentence. Asking for help does not make you incapable. Men’s mindset must be worked on to make them come forward and see that there is help available”, he added.
According to the World Health Organization’s data, about 186 million individuals including 48 million couples live with Infertility globally. However, experts say infertility should not be a death sentence because there are solutions to fertility challenges.
Experts say the creator wires every woman to get pregnant if so desires. But Infertility fears can set in when there is no conception after a year of trying without birth control or any form of protection, or six months in case of older than 35 years of age woman. Difficulty in conceiving can bring blame, self-doubt, and frustration to an otherwise loving relationship.
The pressure from society, particularly from the in-laws in Nigeria setting, can make fertility challenges unbearable for the woman. Patience is a rare virtue from mother-in-law to daughter-in-law during fertility delay. The weight of infertility pressure can be so heavy that it becomes an albatross for conception to happen.
Fertility is a couple issue. The conception-challenged couple needs social support from everyone around them to overcome the challenges. The couple, especially the wife, needs all the support, not blame. Wives need the psychological support of their mother-in-law, kind words of hope and encouragement, not despair, blame, or abuse. Constructive discussions on the issue can reduce the stress for the couple.
Apart from companionship, love, and sex, another vital factor for marriage is procreation. This is why the issue of childbirth is so central in marriage. Larry Barretto says “Babies are bits of stardust blown from the hand of God. Lucky is the woman who knows the pangs of birth for she has held a star.” No wonder couples especially wives attached so much importance to getting pregnant.
Causes of Infertility
-Experts say that most conception challenges for women stem from ovulation disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) that causes infrequent, irregular, prolonged, or cessation of menstrual flows. This problem experts say can be taken care of by giving the woman hormones that stimulate egg production. PCOS can also cause miscarriage and premature birth even when conception happens.
– Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: Medical sources across the web say PID can cause serious problems including chronic infection, and infertility. It can scar the lining of the fallopian tubes, making it harder for eggs to pass through.
– Endometriosis: This can cause pelvic pain, and heavy or irregular periods thus making it difficult to get pregnant.
-Uterine scarring: scar tissue and trauma in the uterine lining can negatively impact conception.
-Uterine fibroids: These are noncancerous growths in the uterus. Experts say they cause infertility, pregnancy loss, or health problems for the baby when conception happens
-Maternal: Doctors say it’s possible to have a successful pregnancy, but after age 35, the infertility challenges increase. As women get older, fertility declines due to normal age-related changes in the ovaries. Unlike men, who continue to produce sperm throughout their lives, experts say women are born with all the eggs they will ever have in their ovaries. Women use this pool of eggs from birth until menopause. So, in addition to the decreased number of eggs, the quality of eggs deteriorates with age
These female infertility risk factors are surmountable. Experts say they are treatable with hormone therapy, surgery, medications, and advanced technology. Dr. Babajide Alalade added that medical science and technology are impacting positively on infertility challenges. According to the O&G expert, fertility science has seen vast improvements in the last 3 decades. And, couples have access to more information and support than ever before. Adding that couples (under age 35) with conception challenges, who seek fertility treatments have 80% or more chances of conceiving.
The primary causes of infertility for men are sperm issues. Is the sperm healthy? Do the testicles produce enough (low sperm count) does the sperm make enough progress to fertilize the eggs (ability to move)?
Sperm issues are caused mostly by lifestyles, obesity, and environmental factors- smoking tobacco or marijuana, alcohol abuse, and toxins. Medical conditions like mumps or kidney disease can also make the sperm unhealthy.
Infertility specialist doctors can help with these issues, but improved sperm quality often comes from living a healthy lifestyle including eating a nutritious diet and exercising.
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Join us next time for the concluding part of the topic wherein we shall discuss infertility stress and coping strategy
Source: Dare Agbeluyi, Chief Publisher, Citizen Comfort
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