The man’s side of infertility

48% of respondents to a survey did not realise smoking can affect fertility 38% of men and women believe a man’s fertility declines in their late 50s and 60s

dubai — With a lot of emphasis on women’s health issues, men’s health is often neglected. Hence November, also known as ‘Movember’, is dedicated to encouraging men to go for regular health check-ups.

Infertility is a major issue that men in the UAE face. In nearly 50 per cent of infertile couples, the male partner is either the sole cause or a contributing factor to infertility, say doctors at Bourn Hall Fertility Centre, Dubai.

Male infertility cases are on the rise worldwide, with the UAE showing higher than average increases related to modern day lifestyle issues such as obesity, diabetes, smoking and stress.

Addressing the issue, and to create awareness regarding male fertility health, the centre is offering free semen analysis during the month of November.

“We talk about women’s fertility all the time, but generally, men’s reproductive health is either not discussed openly or it’s completely ignored,” said Dr David Robertson, group medical director at Bourn Hall Fertility Centre.

“We are trying to break this taboo, since the repercussions are too significant to turn a blind eye. A free semen analysis is important because most male-related infertility cases are due to deficiencies in the semen. More than 90 per cent of male infertility cases result from low sperm count, and by a simple semen analysis, men can find out where they stand fertilitywise. This is particularly important for couples trying to start a family, and those who are going for fertility treatments. I’m confident that such awareness campaigns will go a long way towards creating an environment where male fertility health issues are addressed head-on.

“Abnormalities in sperm are a critical factor and with the help of a semen analysis, corrective measures can be taken in time,” he said.

This test provides information on the volume of semen produced, number of sperm per milli-litre of semen, total number of sperm in the sample, the percentage of moving sperm and the shape of sperm.

Results from a nationwide survey done by the Orchid Fertility Centre based in Dubai Healthcare City found 91 per cent of men and women in the UAE don’t know when their biological clock starts ticking

For women, fertility starts to decline gradually around the age of 27 before dropping more dramatically after age 35. The research commissioned by the Orchid Fertility Centre, which involved more than 1,000 men and women in the UAE, found only nine per cent of respondents correctly pointed out a woman’s fertility begins to decline in their late 20s, while 38 per cent of men and women believed a man’s fertility declines in their late 50s and 60s despite it dropping from 40s. A further 15 per cent thought it did not decline at all.

While age can affect the success of fertility treatments, such as In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), awareness of this factor in the UAE also remains low. The survey reported that only 15 per cent of respondents correctly understood that IVF does not easily resolve infertility in a person’s 40s; highlighting a prevalent misconception about IVF in the UAE.

“The survey results show an alarming misconception that women can delay getting pregnant until their late 30s and rely on IVF to conceive,” said Dr Bohaira El Geyoushi, medical director at the centre.

However, as a woman ages so do her eggs, and this will impact on the woman’s chance of conceiving both naturally and with IVF. “It’s not just about women either. For couples undergoing IVF, the possibility of not being able to conceive is more than five times higher if the female partner is aged 41 or older,” Dr Bohaira said.

The survey found that 68 per cent of respondents believed a holistic approach to fertility would improve chances of getting pregnant.

The survey also revealed that half of people in the UAE did not realise that being overweight (51 per cent) and smoking (48 per cent) can affect fertility in both men and women. Fifty-seven percent of respondents also did not identify diabetes as an infertility factor.