WHY IS THERE A HIGH RATE OF MALE INFERTILITY?
While female infertility has long been a focus in reproductive health, the past few years have seen a significant rise in male infertility rates.
Dr Archana Dhawan Bajaj, gynaecologist and IVF expert at Nurture IVF Clinic in New Delhi, explained, "When treating male infertility, IVF is sometimes the best course of action.
But with the discovery of ICSI in 1992, even severe forms of male infertility can now be treated successfully," she said.
While female infertility has long been a focus in reproductive health, the past few years have seen a significant rise in male infertility rates.
In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) has played a crucial role in reproductive medicine, offering hope to couples grappling with infertility.
Infertility is a major public health problem in India and worldwide. As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), infertility is a disease of the male or female reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.
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WHAT IS IVF?
IVF involves retrieving eggs from the female partner and fertilising them with sperm in a laboratory. When male infertility is a factor, ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) is employed, wherein a single healthy sperm is directly injected into an egg, increasing the likelihood of fertilisation.
This technique bypasses many hurdles that sperm face in natural conception, such as swimming through the female reproductive tract and penetrating the egg.
WHY IS THERE A HIGH RATE OF MALE INFERTILITY?
While female infertility has long been a focus in reproductive health, the past few years have seen a significant rise in male infertility rates. IVF involves retrieving eggs from the female partner and fertilising them with sperm in a laboratory. (Photo: Getty Images)
Caused by low sperm count, poor sperm motility, or abnormal sperm morphology, the rising rates of male infertility have been linked to more environmental and lifestyle factors than genetic factors.
Dr Duru Shah, Director at Gynaecworld and a consultant at Breach Candy and Jaslok Hospitals, highlighted smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, and advanced paternal age as significant contributors.
"Cigarette smoking is a known hazard, affecting sperm motility, count, and morphology. Chronic alcohol intake impairs normal sperm development and also adds to sexual dysfunction," said Dr Shah told IndiaToday.In.
Dr KD Nayar, Chief Consultant and HOD at Akanksha IVF Centre, said that the male factor has gone up to 50%, making fertility a bigger problem among couples.
Environmental factors include exposure to toxins, pesticides and heavy metals that are known to impair spermatogenesis.
Research indicates that men exposed to high levels of environmental pollutants had significantly lower sperm quality and higher rates of infertility.
Studies have shown that heat stress can lead to a temporary reduction in sperm count and motility.
Dr Archana Dhawan Bajaj, gynaecologist and IVF expert at Nurture IVF Clinic in New Delhi, explained, "When treating male infertility, IVF is sometimes the best course of action. If an examination of the semen indicates that there is very little normal sperm present, IVF is advised to combat infertility in men."
The expert highlighted the efficacy of IVF, particularly in cases where multiple fertility-related issues exist, such as low sperm count combined with blocked tubes, ovulation difficulties, or advanced maternal age.
"IVF can still be performed to fertilise eggs with sperm with low motility. Fertilisation may be regulated in the lab by putting the sperm and egg close together in a petri dish, which reduces the distance the insufficiently motile sperm must travel to reach the egg," said Dr Bajaj.
HOW CAN IVF HELP?
IVF allows the use of sperm retrieved through various methods, including testicular sperm extraction (TESE), where sperm is directly obtained from the testes in cases of azoospermia (absence of sperm in the ejaculate).
Dr Shah emphasised the transformative impact of IVF and ICSI on male infertility. "With IVF, fertilisation can be achieved in a petri dish, wherein one oocyte (egg) is left to fertilise with almost 50,000 sperms. But with the discovery of ICSI in 1992, even severe forms of male infertility can now be treated successfully," she said. While female infertility has long been a focus in reproductive health, the past few years have seen a significant rise in male infertility rates. (Photo: Getty Images)
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As per the expert, IVF or ICSI have an almost 40-50% success rate, per cycle depending on the high-risk factors of both the
partners.
Besides this, Dr Shah stressed the importance of understanding the mental and emotional factors that men undergo during infertility issues.
“We must also consider the fact that men tend to feel threatened when they are diagnosed with infertility. Understanding their mental and emotional factors during the infertility journey is also something which shouldn’t be ignored,” said Dr Shah.
CHALLENGES OF IVF IN INDIA
While IVF offers hope, numerous challenges in India make accessibility and affordability significant hurdles, turning it into a daunting reproductive option for many couples. IVF or ICSI have an almost 40-50% success rate, per cycle depending on the high-risk factors of both the partners. (Photo: Getty Images)
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Dr Shah pointed out that although urban areas are "mushroomed with fertility clinics," rural areas still struggle with easy accessibility to fertility treatments.
"The stigma associated with infertility contributes to depression, anxiety, and failed relationships," added Dr Shah.
Dr Nayar added that since every cost of IVF varies from Rs 80,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh, the procedure has become quite inaccessible and unaffordable for most couples, especially because of India’s low per capita income. He added that introducing IVF in medical colleges in India can help increase accessibility.
Both Dr Nayar and Dr Shah advocated for insurance coverage as well and urged better government regulation and standardisation of IVF clinics.
By facilitating fertilisation, IVF addresses high infertility rates in men, providing a viable pathway to parenthood and alleviating the emotional and social burdens associated with infertility if challenges in this are met promptly.
Published By: Daphne Clarance Published On: Jun 24, 2024
