Basic Information About Infertility And Its Role In Modern Societies

By Barbara Patridge


When one is unable to reproduce offspring or if a lady is unable to carry pregnancy to the full term, they may be termed as infertile. Infertility remains one of the very biggest societal issues since it started rising in 1980.

There exist two levels of the condition. These are primary and secondary sterility. Couples having primary sterility have never conceived whereas those in the secondary category only have difficulty conceiving in subsequent occasions to the first conception. These two levels only relate to one couple at a time.

The prevalence of this condition has been rampant across the world. Firstly, approximately six per cent of the couples, especially women, suffer from this problem and it is still unresolved. About a seventh of all couples may be victims of this shortcoming. It is generally accepted that women become infertile with aging. Sometimes it is difficult to establish the source of sterility between the man and the woman.

In both sexes, sterility may be caused by cases of damaged DNA, genetic factors like Robertsonian translocation in either partner, diabetes mellitus, disorders of the thyroids, hypothalamic-pituitary factors such as hyppopituitarism and other environmental factors for instance smoking tobacco, abusing toxic substances such as glue and being constantly exposed to chemical dusts.

In males, if their semen quality is low, they have a low sperm count, if they suffer from testicular malformations, hormone imbalance or experience blockage of the duct system, they may end up suffering from sterility. In females, blockage of fallopian tubes, being underweight and overweight, experiencing inability to ovulate, uterine complications and infections such as Chlamydia and development of scar tissue may lead to the problem.

What causes inability to reproduce is what determines the treatment method to be used. The two broad categories of treatment are family treatments and counseling. At-home kits for conception and use of assisted natural conception methods are the ones majorly used in most cases. Medically, fertility medication such as surgeries and use of medical devices, in vitro fertilization and several technologically assisted methods are applied. Some treatments such as assisted hatching and medical tourism can also suffice.

It is argued that treating the problem is expensive and thus limiting in access to poor people. The inclusion of the problem under insurance packages and how clinical resources used would have been used alternatively also emerge as issues in this case. Some people also argue that methods used in its treatment lead to premature births, multiple births, destruction of the embryo and the methods.

Sterility has both societal and personal repercussions. Psychologically, effects include a lot of anxiety in marriage, marriage discord, depression, disregard for motherhood, loss of anticipated life, feeling of loss, emotional stress and disregard for religion and its doctrines. Socially there is eruption of stigma, rejection, avoiding the issue, inheritance issues and loss of friends.

In developing countries, barrenness is a major source of shame to an individual, couple or family since children are a major source of societal dignity and the assurance of continued income generation for the couple. It follows that there will be stigma to those affected.




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