Today we live life on the fast track, controlled and manipulated like robots, by the hands of the clock. Life is a mad race to compete, to excel, to amass wealth and often spend it in a ‘wild’ life.
The human body is a lover of comfort. Food, sleep, recreation, sex are requirements that keep a person healthy. An imbalance in any of these essential elements is bound to create physiological and psychological disorders. Nowhere is this more explicitly evident than in the field of Reproduction and Fertility. In the last forty years, Fertility has shown a decline especially in rich countries or where the level of education is high. The speed of social change is another factor.
Whether it’s the woman, the man, or the couple together, they can be the cause of decreased fertility.
Women
o The changing roles of women have been cited as the main reason. About 64% of all working women are married. In some families they are the only breadwinners. It is this empowerment that has given women so much attitude in both their behavior and fashion statements. Many working women claim that they have no domestic skills.
o Changing lifestyles: tobacco, drug and alcohol use can have an adverse effect on fertility. Someone described a child born to an alcoholic mother as a “pathetic, hungry, wrinkled, imperfect little creature.”
o Risk behaviors: Decoupling sex from marriage has led to premarital cohabitation and extramarital affairs. Promiscuity is a significant trend of this millennium. Therefore, women are exposed to sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, AIDS and other bacterial infections, which can cause blocked tubes. Frequent termination of unwanted pregnancies can also leave residual infection in the fallopian tubes or cause incompetent cervix. The latter can cause recurrent miscarriages when the woman finally decides to keep her pregnancy.
o Late marriages and late pregnancies: The harmful effects of postponing pregnancy until too late cannot be ignored. The most fertile period in a woman’s life is between the ages of 22 and 30. Fertility declines after forty. Although many women like Cherry Blair and Susan Sarandon have given birth in their late forties, this is certainly not an ideal age. As one ages, the chance of miscarriages and abnormal fetuses increases. Medical complications such as pregnancy-induced hypertension, eclampsia, or diabetes may occur. Labors can also be difficult, and the incidence of surgical deliveries is skyrocketing.
Hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease are problems of middle age. When these already exist, pregnancy places them in a ‘high risk’ category. The growth of the fetus may be affected or there may be chromosomal abnormalities. Children born to such mothers may also be genetically programmed to suffer from similar diseases in their adult lives.
o Identity Crisis: Due to the dual roles of housewife and wage earner, long working hours, lack of sleep, women suffer from anxiety and tension. Stress acts on the adrenal glands which become more active and even produce small amounts of male hormone. Many career women are aware of this. Some choose to ignore it, but others quit their high-powered jobs and opt for motherhood.
Cortisol leads to a higher waist:hip ratio. Some time ago, the BMJ published an interesting article on how body fat distribution may influence fertility more than age or obesity. Researchers in the Netherlands reported that a 0.1 unit waist:hip ratio led to a 30% decrease in conception rates, regardless of age or weight.
Men.
Studies from the US show that between 25 and 30 million men have experienced a drop in sperm count over the years. Another study by the Mumbai Reproductive Research Institute shows that the quality and quantity of sperm have decreased over the past two decades. Tests were performed on 1,500 men between 1986 and 1995, showing a reduction in sperm count by 30% and a reduction in motility by 10%. Similar trends were seen in England, France, Denmark, Scotland and Finland. In the West, this has been attributed to an increase in testicular cancer, and in India, to contamination with pesticides containing a high percentage of lead.
o Behavior changes: “Metrosexuals” are learning to be more feminine, more accommodating and more emotional. They like to preen like women. Men’s beauty products are up 30%, and those asking for plastic surgery are up 20%. According to the New York Times, the male models look “chicken-chested, sunken-cheeked and undernourished.”
With wives who are financially independent, many feel powerless. They are confused about their status within the family and even classify themselves as the “recently oppressed minority.”
o Lifestyles: Lucrative and competitive jobs are not without stress. Erratic
meals, fast food, processed foods, lack of exercise, constant worry about television or the Internet make both the male and female body resistant to insulin. As a result, more insulin is produced and there is more fat accumulation, leading to obesity, which lowers fertility.
Alcohol, although it increases desire, decreases performance. Drugs like marijuana reduce testosterone levels by up to 41%. Narcotics, tranquilizers, and certain medicinal drugs are known to reduce fertility.
Similarly, infections like tuberculosis, gonorrhea cause obstruction of the epididymis.
o Fashion: The normal sperm count is 60 to 200 million/ml. Studies show that counts have been reduced by 1/3 in men in their 30s and 40s. This may be due to the snout-fitting jeans that are popular with young people. Tight jeans push the testicles inside the body, where the temperature of 98.6 degrees is 3 degrees higher than in the scrotum. Similarly, men who use laptops also increase the temperature in the scrotum, since laptops operate at 70 degrees C. Those who keep their cell phones in their pockets or clipped to their belts while using a headset to chat also they may be compromising your sperm.
o Age: Men can retain their virility until the seventh decade, but the belief that they could father normal children is debated. Advanced paternal age can cause autism or schizophrenia in their offspring. Harry Fischer in his book “The Male Biological Clock” says that fertility declines with age and the risk of genetic abnormalities in their offspring is high.
o Andropause or male menopause can occur between the ages of 50-60. Men suffer from loss of libido in addition to other symptoms such as fatigue, loss of muscle volume, enlarged prostate and emotional problems.
Peers:
As income and social status increase, sexual activity decreases. Sometimes couples try to outdo each other in employment status or earning capacity. This creates a “no win” situation in the bedroom. Several dual-income couples say they don’t have time for sex. 50% of these suffer from infertility due to infrequent sexual activity. When it happens, it is a mechanical ritual.
Many men find it difficult to adjust to the demands of living with modern wives. With the changing sexual equations, women not only flaunt their sexuality but demand satisfaction. When they are disappointed, they openly express their discontent with their spouses. This can cause psychological infertility and impotence in men.
When husbands work in other cities or countries, or are frequently away from home, as pilots or street vendors, there are fewer opportunities for marital sex. ‘Missing Husband Syndrome’ is responsible for falling sperm count.
Volunteer couples without children are on the rise. This may be by mutual consent. Fear of what children can do to such career-oriented people causes them to deprive themselves of sexual gratification. Sex becomes an enemy to be avoided at all costs. Because natural impulses are suppressed, instability can arise in marital relationships. Sexual anorexia is expressed in psychosomatic symptoms, including infertility.
On the other hand, it could also lead to extramarital escapades or create an addiction to clandestine sex.
Some couples consider the high cost of raising and educating children and prefer not to have them.
It’s time for couples to reassess their lifestyles and work patterns. Resolving power balances in a marital partnership will facilitate ‘bonding’ and ‘intimacy’. Families are important building blocks of society, and children are a ‘godly heritage’.