MUST READ....Men are now more responsible for infertility – Expert

hehehe.....But why are women often perceived as being at fault?

A consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, said it is wrong to assume that only women are to blame for infertility because they are the ones who get pregnant. He stressed that men contribute to infertility equally, if not more than women.

He described the idea of holding women responsible as a product of ignorance and lack of information.

Ajayi, who is the Managing Director, Nordica Fertility Centre, in Lagos, said, “People think the problem is always with the woman because she carries the pregnancy, and so if she is not pregnant she is to blame. But, if you ask me, there are more cases of infertility caused by men than women, and now, sperm count appears to be decreasing across the world.”

He explained further that apart from lifestyle and the kind of job people do, there are some causes of fertility that can be inherited, “for example, some cases of low sperm count, endometriosis, which can affect the tube and reduce fertility potential in women and not being able to ovulate regularly.”

He continued, “Lifestyle, vocation, infections, injuries and use of certain drugs all contribute to infertility. So, you can inherit it, and infections play a major role. Sometimes it is a result of some abnormal growth, especially in men.

“Lifestyle is a major issue, but fortunately, it is a preventable cause of infertility, because you can be in control of your lifestyle, like obesity, smoking, use of some drugs, like some body builders. When a man’s sperm count is very low, he should check his testes. Some drugs cause low sperm count too.

“Some vocations can also reduce sperm count. There is a documented study from France which shows that men who work in fuel stations over a very long time, and in paint industries can stand that risk. If you play golf over a long time, because of the insecticide they use at golf courses could cause it.”

He said it is for the same reason that people are advised not to put their laptop on their laps or put any radioactive device in their pocket because of the radiation. “Okada and truck drivers whose testes are subjected to very high temperature for a long period of time can also have their fertility affected,” he added.

Thus, gone are those days when men are exonerated from being responsible for infertility. They too can be responsible for it like women, if not more.

 A psychologist, Prof. Oni Fagboungbe, traced it to culture in this part of the world, whereby women are expected to conceive few months after wedding, and their inability to do that would make people to think they are the ones at fault.

He added that the domineering power of men over women had wrongly exonerated men from being seen as the person with the challenge. “Even when people don’t know a lady’s background, they conclude that she must have been reckless for her not to conceive and you would find cases where men don’t bother going for test because they assume the woman must be the one at fault,” he added.

He however noted that women’s desperation is due to societal expectation, different reasons adduced by different persons, condemnation, isolation and stigma.

He said, “There is a theory that explains our movement towards a goal. We call it frustration aggression theory. When a person has a need, fulfilling that need is a source of accomplishment and joy to the person. But when the person cannot hit that target, he becomes frustrated.

“In psychology, it has been found that the frustration (or the failure to accomplish a desired goal) leads to aggression, depression, hatred and so many other things. So, in a society where the social expectation is that any marriage must produce children, which has coloured the expectation of people around here, so when you get married, three to four months, they are already expecting a protruding belly and if it is not there, people get suspicious of the woman.

“The expectation aggravates the desire of women to have children, coupled with the fact that it is a source of joy to women to see their children, and same applies to grandmothers who always say they want to see their grandchildren. So, the totality of our society has combined to increase the expectation of married women.

“When the baby is not forthcoming, the woman will become anxious, and the anxiety has a way of leading them to so many things. That is why they don’t give up, so as to avoid condemnation and social isolation.”