Fertility on the Decline

The statistics regarding present fertility status of the current generation is really worrisome. Research shows that the fertility rate of women has declined sharply. The fertility rate of a woman is defined as the number of kids a woman gives birth to. It has declined sharply from 4.97 in 1975-80 to 2.3 in 2015-20. That’s less than half. The degree of decline is sharper in the urban belt. It may be good news for overpopulated India, but it certainly it isn’t for the newly married couples who are yet to become parents.

1. 1. The blame game

Our social fibre is such that we start blaming the female largely for the missed conception, but in fact it the blame rests on both the genders. Both male and female are to be equally blamed for the fiasco.

1. 2. The female factor

1.The modern urban woman has a sedentary lifestyle which can lead to PCOD and hormonal imbalance.

2.Women are increasingly postponing marriages and procreation process to fulfill their career aspirations, which results in delaying the process but they tend to forget that the biological clock is ticking away.

3.Availability of emergency contraception’s and the option of surgical termination of pregnancy has led to an increment in the cases of unprotected sex, which lead to contraction of sexually transmitted diseases.This, accompanied by lack of awareness of sexual health has escalated the sexual infections which can cause infertility for life.

4.As far as rural women are concerned, they too suffer due to lack of proper hygiene.They may also be rendered infertile due to infections that affect the genital area, like tuberculosis which is a leading cause of blockage of fallopian tubes.

The average Indian woman’s reproductive system is ageing faster than her European counterparts.

1. 3. The male malady

Males too are suffering from decreased sperm count and motility. This adversely influences his female partner’s chances of conception.

1. 4. The Culprit

The reason behind these worrying phenomena is being attributed to:-

1. Sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise

2. Substance abuse (alcohol, drugs, smoking)

3. Rampant consumption of junk food

4. Toxins which are absorbed by the body from the environment

5. Use of plastic

6. Rampant spraying of chemicals such as insecticides and pesticides on the plants

1. 5. Science to the rescue

It is advisable that both men and women undergo fertility tests to determine their current fertility status. Also, they should consider the procedures like IVF, IUI, and other fertility treatments. They can also be helped by the process of freezing or preserving their eggs and sperms so that they can be used in the future.