Male infertility on the rise in the UAE

In most conventionally patriarchal societies, the UAE being no exception, the female partner is often blamed for infertility. However, the truth of the matter is that of the approximately 150,000 cases of infertility in the UAE, approximately 30 per cent are cases related solely to male infertility, going by reports released by various fertility clinics in the region. 

Couples in the UAE in which the male factor is one of multiple factors involved is estimated to be three to four of every 10 cases of infertility as per a 2015 NBCI report. This is a significantly higher rate of incidence of male infertility than the global average of one in every two cases. The American Urological Association, Inc.’s (AUA) Male Infertility Best Practice Policy Committee (MIBPPC) in 1998, led by Dr Ira Sharlip, estimated that of the 15 per cent of couples globally who could not conceive a child after one year of regular, unprotected intercourse – 50 per cent was due to a solely female factor, while 20 to 30 per cent were purely male factors. The balance 20-30 per cent was a combination of both male and female factors.