Can’t conceive? Don’t just blame it on women

Dubai: When it comes to a couple’s inability to conceive, society almost automatically points to the woman as the one who has the problem and who should go for a medical check-up right away.

But this should not always be the case, cautioned doctors at a gathering of health professionals in Dubai yesterday.

“If the couple is still unable to conceive within one year of marriage, it is best to do an assessment on both the man and the woman. Sometimes we check the woman and exhaust all means but don’t examine the man. It should always start with the man,” Dr Mariam Shaker, Family Medicine Consultant and Medical Director of Al Muhaisnah Health Centre, told Gulf News during the Second Family Medicine Symposium at Le Meridien on Saturday.

The problem boils down to culture, Dr. Shaker said.

“The men who may be facing infertility problems, often feel embarrassed to go for a medical check-up due to cultural factors here.”

According to Dr Jamal Abdul Karim Jameel, specialist urologist at Zulekha Hospital, up to 30 per cent of cases of infertility are due to the male, 20 per cent from a combination of the male and female, which sums up to 50 per cent infertility in general that is partly caused by males.

The easiest way to know the probability of infertility among men is semen analysis, which is less complicated and cheaper compared to other tests. But medical examination should not be limited to this alone, Dr Jameel said.

The patient’s history should be discussed, taking into account risk factors such as trauma, systemic diseases, exposure to excessive heat, radiation, and others.

A proper physical examination should also be done before introducing treatment options.

Patients should also institute some lifestyle changes, especially those who are regularly exposed to these risk factors such as avoiding alcohol and smoking and high temperature in the groin.

“If they want fertility at a certain time, they should totally avoid going to saunas, hot baths, sitting on a basin filled with warm water for those with haemorrhoids. They should also avoid excessive exposure to very hot areas like bakeries, and avoid using tight clothing,” Dr Jameel said.