Issues Related to Male Reproductive Health

Reference

• At present, the global population is facing multidimensional challenges of mobility. In such a situation, it is important to pay attention to men's reproductive health or male infertility.
• Ignoring male reproductive health increases the emotional and psychological burden on the people affected by it and also hinders effective solutions.

About Male Infertility

• Infertility in men can manifest as absence of sperm, low sperm count, low sperm motility.
• The form of infertility can depend on various factors. These include:
  • Internal factors: stress; hormonal imbalances; genetic, physiological and epigenetic factors and exposure to certain infections
  • External factors: environmental pollution; indiscriminate use of pesticides on crops, plastics and plasticizers
    • A plasticizer is a substance added to a material to make it softer and more flexible, increase its plasticity, decrease its viscosity, and reduce friction during operation.
  • Lifestyle factors: diet, sleep patterns, nature of work, alcohol and tobacco consumption and the increasing trend of late marriage among youth

Global status of male infertility

• According to a 2004 estimate by the World Health Organization (WHO), 60-80 million couples globally are facing the problem of infertility.
• According to this, about 13-19 million Indian couples are facing the problem of infertility.
  • This is likely to increase further due to factors like environmental pollution and adverse lifestyle changes.
• Male infertility accounts for 50% of the total infertility cases in the country. Hence, it is important to understand the causes of male infertility and identify solutions to help affected couples. 
• There is still no accurate estimate of infertility in India based on the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) national guidelines on Accreditation, Supervision and Regulation of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Clinics (2005).

Measures to improve male reproductive health

Spreading awareness

• It is important to be aware about reproductive and sexual health and the factors affecting it. Parents should educate their sons on this issue.
• Awareness spreading during the formative period from secondary school to college is important.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle

• At the individual level, young men should avoid alcohol, tobacco and other intoxicants, maintain a healthy diet and regular sleep pattern.
• Excessive use of mobile phones and laptops should be avoided by keeping them close to the body. Regular exercise, yoga and meditation are helpful in reducing the adverse effects on health.

Available Treatments for Infertility

• Seek help from a medical professional and get regular semen analysis done
  • Routine semen analysis is done after a sexual abstinence period of two to seven days (recommended by WHO).
  • Problems related to obstructed sperm flow, undescended testicles or abnormalities in the urethral opening can be corrected with surgery.
• Treatments such as intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) if there is an absence of sperm
  • This involves injecting live sperm into a person's eggs in a laboratory.
• Couples have the option of donor sperm insemination or adoption
• In case of low sperm count and motility, there are options of Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and ICSI.
  • IUI is a fertility treatment that gives the sperm a better chance of fertilizing the egg.
  • Genetic counselling is extremely important before resorting to assisted reproductive techniques like IVF and ICSI in cases of male infertility due to gene mutations.

Conclusion

Currently, many married couples in India are facing the problem of infertility, so there is an urgent need for open and informed discussions on reproductive health. Awareness building on male reproductive health issues, sex education and timely medical intervention can help couples become parents. A more supportive environment should be promoted by eliminating the taboos associated with male infertility.