How to talk about male infertility with your partner

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A worrisome fact is starting to become a nightmare for men that their semen is no longer the same as before.

In December 2012, a large-scale global study in France found that the average amount of sperms dropped by 32 percent. This news has stirred up the medical world. The discussion has begun in India and much scientific evidence is confirming that the culture of denial and silence has hidden the story of the decline of the Indian men’s semen in their nostrils.

In August last year, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had said in the Rajya Sabha, “Infertility is increasing in men.” Doctors already know that this is the biggest secret fact of health in the country. That is why when a couple visits a doctor, they first examine men.

The first study in this regard was done at Kasturba Hospital in Manipal in 2008 at 7,700 men, whose semen was found to be poor quality. Many studies have been done since then. Research from Delhi’s Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) shows that in three decades, the number of sperms per milliliter per semester has decreased from 60 million to 2 million. A standard study on the semen of 19,734 healthy men deposited at the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow showed that there has been “a real decline” in the structure and activity of semen.

There are all the parameters of masculinity, but it has not been tested on the microscope to date. Until recently, questions on masculinity did not arise because people used to believe that every man was capable of becoming a father. This revelation shocked people in great number. Today, young people can be seen going to Fertility Labs.

In their faces, hope and anxiety can be seen together with their masculinity: Is it not possible that in every milliliter of semen, fewer than 20 million sperms fall.

The key to the solution of this problem is communication. Communication can eradicate differences in any relationship and help couples to move in the same direction. So, talk to your partner and get tested.

Manhood is the biggest obstacle in the treatment of infertility. Men’s shame in believing in the truth, their self-esteem and refusal to take the treatment puts the burden on the shoulders of women. Lack of any standard of ethics in such an irregular field makes even doctors suspicious. Men have a tendency to dismiss the question of acknowledging a problem in them, while their healthy partner has to undergo painfully elaborate treatments.

Consider IVF

In the event of less than 10 million sperm count, the doctor advises adopting IVF (In vitro fertilization) technique; In this technique, most healthy mature eggs and sperms are fertilized in the lab’s constricted environment. After that, good quality embryos are implanted in the womb of the womb so that it can grow normally.

Highlights

Late motherhood is on the rise with most men and women being unaware of the age-related relationship to an increased risk of infertility, and inability to have children at late ages.

Changing the typical timeline for having kids has implications – for both children and parents – that can’t be ignored.

Postponing parenthood is associated with an increased risk of infertility, pregnancy complications, and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

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Today, late parenthood has become every person’s option.

Never in the past have the parents had their first children as late as in the recent decades. Gone are the days when young people grew up through having kids.

Today, people feel that they have to grow first and plan for the children after they have fulfilled their dreams.

Though it’s one’s own choice to plan their parenthood, it’s worth knowing the reasons people are opting for late parenthood and the implications it has on both the children and parents.

Why is late parenthood on the rise?

Technology should be given the credit for delayed parenthood as it has given us a chance to lead our lives in a proper sequence.

People today opt to achieve their aspirations first, get financial stability and then plan for children.

Higher educational aspirations for women resulted in a significant shift to later ages of childbearing. Better educated women are likely to pursue careers with high profiles, and higher remuneration.

If both are working men and women, they are more willing to establish their career path first and postpone childbearing until they feel they can afford them.

What is the right age for having kids?

There are not any age limitations to have kids. Thanks to the technology evolution, we can see the many mothers who had their children at the age of 60 for the first time.

But parental age is the most important factor and a major determinant of fertility.

The average woman’s reproductive years are between ages 12 and 51 and your fertility naturally declines as you get older, which could make it harder for you to conceive.

Male fertility also wanes with age with an increased risk of ejaculatory dysfunction and decreased libido.

Implications of Late Parenthood

Just like the two sides of a coin, late parenthood has its pros and cons.

Benefits of Delayed Parenthood

Undoubtedly, there is a sense of maturity that comes along with your age.

You will have more time to achieve financial stability and emotional maturity and have more patience to look after your kids. Children will bring you joy, meaning to live in your later age.

Downsides of Delayed Parenthood

Changing the typical timeline for having kids has implications – for both children and parents – that can’t be ignored.

Late motherhood is on the rise with most men and women being unaware of the age-related relationship to an increased risk of infertility, and inability to have children at late ages.

Postponing parenthood is associated with an increased risk of infertility, pregnancy complications, and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Delayed childbearing also poses a high risk of diabetes or hypertension in pregnancy and the risk of endometriosis and tubal disease that can negatively impact fertility.

Delayed parenthood is also associated with the risk of breast cancer.

There is an increased likelihood of miscarriages and pregnancy complications on a woman’s body and her baby with an increased risk of mortality and morbidity in newborns.

Along with the risk of multiple births, preterm delivery, stillbirth, and C-section, late parenthood can cause havoc with the next generation’s health. There are higher medical risks of lower birth weight of the newborn, autism, schizophrenia, and developmental delays to children born to older fathers and mothers.

Delayed parenthood sometimes requires the parents to rely on invasive assisted reproductive technology (ART) to get pregnant, which increases the cost too.

Parents will have more stress looking after their elders as well as kids. There is also a greater likelihood that the children of older parents will become orphaned as relatively young adults.

Final Thoughts

As parental ages are now increasing across the world, so are concerns about the health and well-being consequences of postponed parenthood.

Science will always support you, but keep in mind that fertility treatments work less well with age. It’s not only your reproductive potential that deteriorates with time but also your general health.

It’s not only important to be fit only to bear a child, but also to nurture your kids after birth.

So, it’s always better to plan your pregnancy a little earlier in life to avoid any complications and for the good of your family.