Is infertility always a woman’s problem?

Most of the time infertility problems are always blamed on the women. But in reality, 60% of the infertility problems are due to male infertility factors. And in the remaining 40%, 20% are mystery cases in which you will never get to know the actual cause of infertility. These are cases even when IVF treatments also fail. The most possible causes as estimated by a doctor is genetics and DNA problem.

But the most common misconception about infertility is that infertility is always a women’s problem and if that problem is fixed, the couple will be able to get conceived. This has never happened unless there is a clear complication with the woman.

During one of my research visits at a fertility clinic in Mumbai, the very common factor that the research term happened to encounter is the number of male infertility cases that are being treated. At one point during the day in the hospital, there were only two patients and with luck, I was able to hear out their story.

By nature, the male is very prone to infertility. This is because of the initial exposure men get from the society. Drinking and smoking are the main causes of infertility in men and a huge number of people are affected by this and still, this continues. There is no single reason that could affect male infertility.

According to a fertility clinic in Bangalore, 75% of the male infertility cases are a combination of reasons. The most common reasons, apart from drinking and smoking, obesity and drug abuse are the highest contributors of male infertility. Male infertility is an accumulated side-effect of prolonged exposure to reasons that cause male infertility.

Infertility treatment options are also different for both male and female. As a couple when you visit a fertility clinic, it is always best to understand the problems together. The infertility expert will suggest different tests and suggest before he can get a hold of the actual problem.

Some of the common tests for male will be a semen analysis test along with a blood test and for the woman, it will be a vaginal ultrasound or a sonogram which will help in evaluating the fertility health. Fertility problems are treated with proper facts and knowledge of the habits and lifestyle of the patient. This is very important because of the nature of treatment that will be suggested.

 There is always an anticipated timeline by which pregnancy through a fertility treatment can be confirmed. But that is not all that. Every individual responds differently to the infertility treatment and getting a clear idea on timelines is very difficult. Most often it is the woman’s fertility health that has to be accounted in the last stages because she is one who is going to give birth. With advancements in science and technology, infertility treatments are a boon to the society in treating couples who are not able to conceive naturally.