Rising infertility problem due to low sperm count

Kirti and Gaurav Shah have been married for four years. But Kirti’s inability to conceive had started taking a toll on their relationship.

However, a visit to a fertility expert came as a shocker for those pointing fingers at Kirti - Gaurav’s semen analysis test showed that he suffered from oligospermia (low sperm count). 

He was advised to go in for either Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) or Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI). According to city doctors, there has been a rise in percentage of male infertility cases in the city. “Fifty per cent of the cases coming to us with conceiving issues have the male infertility problem. It used to be 20-30%,” said Dr Nandita Palshetkar, infertility expert, Lilavati Hospital.

Dr Duru Shah, infertility expert and consulting Obstetrician and Gynaecologist for Jaslok and Breach Candy hospitals, said, “Nearly one in five healthy men between 18 and 25 have an abnormal sperm count. Male infertility problem may start before birth, due to environmental issues. Sperm counts are declining and there is mounting evidence that the problem starts even before birth.”

A fall in the sperm count of men during their reproductive years is now a serious global problem. And the crisis is equally acute in India. According to doctors, the sperm count of a normal adult male in India has plunged to around 20 million per ml, one-third of what it was three decades ago. 

There are also many suffering from azoospermia — no sperm at all in the semen sample, despite a normal and healthy libido and seemingly normal semen.

Shah said, “Infertility is affecting 20% per cent of couples attempting pregnancy and, in over 60% cases, it’s due to low sperm count. One of the reasons could be that we continue to see more and more infertility and probably younger people come into our fertility centre seeking assistance. But it could also be an epidemiological trend that the qualitative and quantitative measurements of sperm are deteriorating, or because people are coming out of the closet and seeking assistance.”

Studies have come up with alarming facts. In the last half century, mean sperm counts in normal men have dropped by 40-50%.
The threat appears to be from environmental factors. Many studies offer substantial evidence that industrial pollutants may be interfering with the hormones, thus contributing to birth defects, problems of sexual development, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and even mental problems like attention deficit disorder, diminished IQ, and violent behavior.

The other factors are wearing tight underwear or trousers, bathing in very hot water, sitting for long hours, pesticide exposure and being overweight (fat layers sag on the testicles). Laptops too affect fertility, as they are positioned close to the scrotum.