Off-late, infertility has become a prevailing issue among young Indians.
With fertility rates falling dramatically over the last couple of years, at least 10-15 percent of married couples are experiencing fertility issues at some point.
Statistics have revealed that 27.5 million couples actively seeking children suffer from infertility; affecting both men and women equally. This burgeoning fact continues to be no more than a whisper to many but we believe a conversation about it is long overdue.
Infertility, as we all know is the inability to conceive by natural means. According to a study conducted by Inito, 40-50 percent of the times the infertility in couples is because of the female partner while the figure is 30-40 percent for the male partner.
While there are many factors increasing this risk, our lifestyle changes have taken the lead. With many couples taking the call on increasing their marital age, family planning takes a back seat to a later age.
Not many believe, but the reproductive age is a vital contributor to pregnancy. Which is why the likelihood of fertility decreases as the ovaries begin to produce lesser amounts of eggs after women turn 35 years of age.
The more the age, the more anxiety partners have while trying to conceive; which leads to a higher level of stress. This leads to more unnatural changes in the body resulting in conceiving issues despite repeated efforts.
Lest do we forget to mention, the indirect pressure couples have from families to plan a baby. 64 percent of the men with spouses more than 30 years of age undergo the highest pressure to have a baby.
That's just not it, the rising level of alcohol and tobacco consumption leading to tremendous weight gain disrupts the balance of hormones in women and men. It upsets the egg implantation in women and lowers the sperm quality in men.
Thus, instead of ovulating, your body is raising health concerns that are impacting your fertility. 42 percent of women have concerns about age or lifestyle while getting pregnant and 45 percent feel either anxiety or stress in trying to conceive. After all, with so much running through your mind conceiving does become a herculean challenge.
Other prominent reasons contributing to the infertility epidemic in the country are the clinical factors. With the lifestyle changing our habits and behaviour, we are becoming more prone to medical conditions that unfortunately, we are still unaware, ignorant or even undiagnosed about. The most common is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
Women suffering from (PCOS) are at a significant risk of infertility. This condition imbalance the hormones and lades to irregular or at times lack of ovulation. Another not so typical hurdle while conceiving is an uncommon genital condition - Endometrial tuberculosis.
It blocks the fallopian tubes which cause infertility. Sexually transmitted bacterial infections (STIs) are another cause of pregnancy-related issues, which if left untreated can cause long-term complications leading to infertility.
Simply put, you have to take control of your life and make vital changes in order to tackle the problem of infertility. It merely begins with keeping yourself healthy and fit. A well-balanced diet boosted with a daily regime of exercise is sure to do you good in more ways than one.
With so many breakthroughs in technology taking place, 55 percent of women and 75 percent of men don't have awareness about ovulation tracking products like fertility monitors. These devices can easily be purchased online, and they are really helpful in finding the days when you are most fertile to maximise your chances of getting pregnant naturally.
It is also extremely important to understand that everybody has a different behaviour, rather than blindly following a peer or a friend, consult a doctor and educate yourself about your problems. Only 45 percent of the couples visited a doctor when they were trying to conceive.
The truth is the solution lies with us. With multiple tests and proven methods available at our disposal - happy parenting is no longer a distant dream.
