Infertility can be detected and treated
INFERTILITY remains among the least spoken about medical problems, yet it causes devastation and stigma among families across many races.
The inability to bear children for both men and women affects roughly 18% of the world’s population, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said, and it remains a major global health challenge.
Speaking this month, which is World Infertility Awareness Month, WHO said countries across the world are encouraged to dedicate time to raising awareness around infertility challenges.
“Roughly one in six people are affected worldwide, and this is a challenge that cuts across communities and societies, knowing no boundaries,” it said.
High-, middle- and low-income countries were affected, the WHO said, as it asked that governments dedicate resources and time to raising awareness on treatment and early detection.
“Infertility can affect both men and women and can be attributed to many causes, with male infertility mainly caused by abnormal sperm production or function and challenges with sperm delivery,” fertility expert and family doctor Dr Summaya Khan said.
She said in women it is mostly caused by disorders of the ovaries, uterus or cervix, or there could be blockages in the fallopian tubes.
“But what we find is, because people do not seek medical treatment, at least not of the kind they really need, they tend to write themselves off as being unable to reproduce, even when their issues could be solved.”
She said fertility clinics and centres went beyond the normal consultation to find out why people are failing to fall pregnant.
“Pharmacies have boosters and such, health centres can write you off as being infertile, yet when a man or woman sits down with a trained professional – preferably earlier on in their reproductive life – we can put our finger on the problem and hopefully provide a solution,” she said.
The average fertility rate in South Africa is said to be declining in line with global trends, with up to 20% of couples facing a battle with infertility. Statistics have found that infertility is a major reproductive health problem across Africa, with a prevalence of 30-40%, and the various factors include poor health care, infection control and lack of knowledge.
“But this issue runs deeper than the surface,” Pretoria midwife Helen Suthukazi said. In many cases, the stigma attached to people without children is damning.
“Some, depending on what they surround themselves with, can fly under the radar, but we have men and women who go to extreme lengths to have children, just so they are not judged.
“These are often not categorised accordingly. Women, married and single, bear the brunt of the stigma but men also face being ostracised – from their families and peers – if they hit certain ages and stages without children.”
She said there was an expectation among families and society that people have children, failing which they could face very cruel undertones of judgement, even from their own parents. Society generally judges according to the milestones of others, so if siblings, peers and other family members have children and some do not, they become an embarrassment.
“Just like marriage is a family and societal expectation, so is having children, and while we do have a population of people proudly proclaiming that they wanted to wait until they hit certain milestones to get married or have children, we also have those who hide behind that, just to escape the glare and rise above humiliation,” Suthukazi added.
The WHO added that drugs, among them cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, cannabis and other recreational drugs, could also reduce the chances of having a baby.
“Taken over a long period of time, recreational drugs can cause permanent problems… it said. This, to exposure to toxins, stress, working conditions and food.