Sperms play spoilsport

Lakshmi Narayanan | 10-September-2013

Parenthood is the loveliest feeling on the Earth. When a couple turns into parents, it becomes the beginning of a new social and intellectual order. A child of their own that will be the ultimate aim of every couple. But the present unhealthy environment denies many couples the natural capacity to procreate. A recent study on the reproductive health condition in India reveals that infertility rate is very high and increasing rapidly. Every year, about 12-18 million married youngsters are diagnosed with reproductive disorders and of them, more than 6.8 million are identified as infertile. Increasing male infertility rates have become a cause of serious concern in India and abroad. What prevents males from fatherhood? How can this problem be resolved? Food, lifestyle or genetics, who is the real villain? And what is the ultimate solution? Apprehensions are many!

By Lakshmi Narayanan

The issue of human infertility has been there ever since man adopted the concept of a family. However, what makes infertility a major social issue is that an increasing number of people turn infertile every year. It is found that one among every six couples is facing reproductive disorders. According to the experts, there has been 20-30 per cent increase in both male and female infertility. A few decades ago, the sperm count of a normal Indian adult was 60 million per ml, but a recent study conducted by the doctors of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) shows that it stands at 20 million per ml. This finding points to the seriousness of the issue. The most common problems facing men are low sperm count, morphology abnormalities and low motility of sperm. Almost, 50 per cent of infertility cases are associated with males. People seeking help from fertility clinics with the problem of not are increasing especially after 2008, with most of them opting for in vitro fertilisation.

“Infertility rate in India is increasing at an alarming level. Today Indian men are facing a peculiar problem of reduced sperm count as well as sub-optimal sperm quality. I assume that lifestyle changes are the main reasons for impotency. Infertility is also related to certain professions. The rate of infertility is increasing among IT professionals. Using a laptop can also affect fertility of a person,” says Dr KD Nayyar, Chief Consultant, Infertility & IVF at Akansha IVF Centre, New Delhi.

Lifestyle and Sperms

The data from the concerned areas, including the infertility experts, blame mainly on the lifestyle changes which result in stress and obesity which again is a by-product of lack of exercise, unhealthy eating habits and pollutions.

Lifestyle factors such as smoking, consumption of alcohol and drugs, stress malnutrition and obesity, STDs, hot temps, age, being vegan, over-exercising, not exercising, exposure to some chemicals and mental stress also affect infertility.

A few years ago, male infertility was associated with only urban population, but with the changes in the environment and genetics, it has spread to rural areas. Change in lifestyle, even among small income groups, has led to an increase in infertility rates. Smoking increases chances of male infertility by 30 per cent. More than a half percentage of infertile people are obese. Even though obesity is not a direct cause of infertility, many complications arising out of it like hormonal complications, ovulation issues in women and deterioration in sperm quality in men are serious fertility issues. About 2,000,000 men every year are diagnosed with infertility in the United States alone due to lifestyle disorders.

“The alarming drop in the pregnancy rate could be due to low sperm quality, lifestyle changes, change in sexual habits etc. To have good sperm quality, normal sexual life is necessary. Sexual harmony is the stimulation which ensures good sperm quality. There should be a ‘normal trying time’ for pregnancy to happen,” says Dr KK Gopinathan, Infertility Specialist and Managing Director, CIMAR, Ernakulam.

Roots of infertility

Infertility refers to the health condition in which a female who is under the age of 34 fails to conceive after having regular unprotected sex. It also refers to the biological inability of a male to contribute to conception, or to a female who cannot carry a pregnancy to full term. In many countries, infertility refers to a couple who has failed to conceive after 12 months of regular sexual intercourse without the use of contraception.

According to the definition of World Health Organisation, “Infertility is the inability to conceive a child. A couple may be considered infertile if, after two years of regular sexual intercourse without contraception, the woman has not become pregnant. Infertility could be caused by infection in the man or woman, but often there is no obvious underlying cause.”

“ In our country there is always a wrong perception that it’s women’s responsibility of having a baby. It is wrong, both men and women have equal roles to play in having a baby. Today, infertility is one of the largest health problems that our country is facing, but the statistics on infertility rate is an exaggerated one,” says Dr Aniruddha Malpani, Malpani Infertility Clinic, Mumbai.
And there is one more category called sub-fertility which means a couple who has tried unsuccessfully to have a child for a year or more is said to be sub-fertile that indicates less fertile than a typical couple.

Biological factors of infertility

Tuberculosis (TB)
Male hypospadias
Previous tubal ligation
Previous vasectomy
Ovulation problems
Tubal blockage
Male associated infertility
Age-related factors
Uterine problems
Unexplained infertility
Other sexual problems

Postponing pregnancy is another main reason for being infertile. But this problem is mainly associated with females. “The mindset and priorities of couples have undergone a sea change. Today, men and women want to get educated, enjoy life, and then get married. Even after marriage, they postpone conception for a while, which further increases the complexities associated with pregnancy. Shockingly, most couples who come here for treatment have not stayed together for at least a month after marriage,” says Dr KK Gopinathan.

Food habits and men’s fertility

Directly and indirectly the food one eats may affect fertility of a person. Men who eat large quantities of soy-based food produce 32 per cent less sperm per ml than men who consume no soy-based food. Junk food, including tinned and canned food, also affects the sperm count. Intake of too much alcohol and drugs like marijuana etc badly affects the sperm production in men. Including more fruits and vegetables in food is a must to enhance fertility. Choose whole grains for the diet atleast for once in a day. Cutting down meat consumption and eating low fat dairy products are necessary. Don’t avoid carbohydrates and protein from your food. Curb caffeine, eat more fish etc will help to be fertile. The food like bone broth, liver, lacto-fermented vegetables, fermented cod liver oil, wild-caught salmon, red raspberry leaf tea, nettles tea and grass-fed meat etc can contribute a lot in finding a solution to the fertility problems in men.

Infertility and IT

Infertile couples in the IT profession are a case of serious concern that draws attention of the infertility experts and reproductive surgeons world over. Continuous usage of laptops will affect the sperm’s motility and count due to the heat produced from the laptops. Wi-Fi radiation from laptops may cause infertility in men. It is a scientifically proven fact that the heat in extreme amounts can damage the testes and decline semen quality and will cause DNA damage. Like this, the radiation from the mobile phones also causes sperm damage.

Global concern

Globally, 20 percent of the infertility problems are associated with men. And about 30-40 percent are due the reproductive disorders in both men and women. A survey conducted by Department of Health and Human Service in United States shows, about 10 per cent to 15per cent of couples are infertile. In Europe, North America and much of the world, approximately 85 per cent of couples will conceive within one year if they have regular unprotected sex. Averages in the UK are as follows (National Health Service):