Let’s put rumors to rest: Myths and Facts about infertility

By Dr. Shobha Gupta 

Infertility has many myths associated with it; today let’s discuss some common myths and facts about infertility. 

Myth 1: Having sex everyday enhances fertility. 

Fact: No. In fact, it may decrease the chances.  As the egg’s life is only 24 hours long, having sex more often will only help during the woman’s fertile period. 

Myth 2: Infertility is hereditary 

Fact: False, most infertility problems are not hereditary it may depend on an individual lifestyle, and health status. 

Myth 3: Drinking wine is better than drinking alcohol 

Fact: Alcohol in any form may lead to fetal defects. Therefore, it is better to avoid it while planning for pregnancy. 

Myth 4: A late pregnancy is easier if your menstruation cycle has been regular. 

Fact: It is true that you are in your fertile period till you menstruate, but remember that the health and quality of your egg has no relation with your periods. The quality of the eggs start to decline post 25 years of age, and when you conceive after 30 years of age, you run a slightly greater risk of passing chromosomal abnormalities to the foetus. So the early you plan your

Right age to be a mother

By Dr. Shobha Gupta 

The trend of bearing child at later age has been catching up in India for a while now. The reason why parenthood is being post pone are many; but the most common reasons for delaying it are: to pursue education and build career, to achieve financial independence, availability of safe and effective contraception, and occasionally to maintain gap between babies. However, the best biologically age for child bearing is between the age of 20-35 years. After this age there might be difficulty in conceiving and the risks of miscarriage also rises up. 

Risk of miscarriage under 35 years is around 15% which increases to 20-35% at the age of 35-45 years and 50% in women of more than 45 years of age. If a woman of 25 to 30 years of age tries for pregnancy, then 75% of them will conceive naturally. While women aged around 35 years or above tries for pregnancy, then 66% of them might have chances of getting infertile due to less production of eggs in them. In that case IUI or IVF would be options available for them. 

Reason behind it is usually the number and quality of eggs decline with age. Studies have suggested, Live Birth rate after IVF treatment is around 32% in the age group less than 35 years which drops to 18% in age group 38-40 years and declines further to 5% beyond 42 years of age.  

Moreover, advanced age during pregnancy is associated with medical complications. Hence women should be encouraged to consider having family during

It’s not you but it’s him – the cause behind your infertility

By Dr. Shobha Gupta 

I have came across many cases and seen that it comes as a shock to most men when they find out that it's because of their health issues they can’t make their wives pregnant. It is a kind of bitter pill to swallow for them when they get to know about it. If you can’t make your wife pregnant then you are suffering from male infertility. 

In most infertility cases we cannot ignore male factors as there is a very big myth that infertility is woman’s problem. We cannot rule out without doing tests of male partner too. It is the time to shift the spotlight away from women and their biological clocks and onto men. Male fertility is one of the few residual taboos as men just don't want to talk about infertility openly it could hit their masculinity. On the other hand women can talk about their infertility with their friends they can pour out their heart openly to doctors, family or friends but men cannot; not even with their close friends. 

Let’s figure out what are the all sorts of reasons behind male fertility: 

Low sperm count: Studies conducted in the past has shown the considerable results that men who use laptops on their laps for a prolonged time can have a reduced sperm count as laptops can cause scrotal hyperthermia (elevated testicle temperature) which can considerably affect the quality of sperm.  Scrotal temperature rose with the working and non-working computers. 

Poor diet patterns: If you don’t take sufficient amount of essential nutrients and drinks too much alcohol then it could also be a reason for your infertility as it can lower testosterone levels, cause erectile dysfunction and decrease sperm production. Liver disease caused by excessive drinking also may lead to fertility problems. 

Wearing too tight pants: In the name of fashion people don't realize that wearing tight trousers or skinny jeans could seriously damage one's health. It can cut off circulation, cause nerve damage, swelling of the ankles and feet and even fertility problems. Tight pants or skinny jeans do in fact damage the testicles, even cause low sperm count and infertility in men. It causes infertility problems in men by overheating of the crotch area,