Bengaluru: Twenty-nine-year-old Shwetha and her 35-year-old husband Krishnan (names changed), both IT professionals, were shocked once they came to know that Krishnan had very low sperm parameters. Nowadays there has been an increase in the number of cases of male infertility coming in the way of a couple wanting to conceive.
There has been a 25 per cent rise in male infertility cases in the city. “This trend is increasing in a number of male patients and somewhere from 25 per cent to 40 per cent such cases are being witnessed by fertility experts,” said Dr Aviva Pinto Rodrigues, Fertility Consultant, Nova IVI Fertility, Bangalore. Our centre comes across forty to fifty cases which can be attributed to male infertility, she added.
“In our Bangalore centres, only about 35 per cent of cases in 2015 were identified as female infertility cases. We saw that in 25 per cent of the cases, the infertility problem was with the male, and about 25 per cent were mixed infertility cases with both male and female factors. Reasons for infertility of the remaining 15 per cent of the patients are unexplained,” Dr Aviva said.
However, the doctor observed that specific reasons that cause infertility is yet be established. “Male infertility can be genetic or caused by an infection, testicular or pelvic injury or medical condition. Lifestyle also plays a pivotal role in development of infertility in men. Factors such as age when planning a family, nutrition, weight, lack of regular exercise, psychological stress, environmental and occupational exposures, and others have substantial effects on fertility,” the doctor said. It should now be seen as a disease of the couple and both partners should get themselves tested for infertility, she added.
Male fertility checkup
A male fertility assessment typically starts with a thorough medical history, examination and a semen analysis that examines the volume, concentration of sperm and what percentage of those sperms can swim. Further testing is based on the results of the analysis. Men with low sperm counts, for example, might require hormonal or genetic testing. If no sperm are found in the ejaculate, a testicular biopsy (removal and examination of a small piece of tissue from the testicle) may be necessary.
