Blaming Women Solely For Infertility Can Impact Their Mental Well-Being

The highly anticipated ‘We Women Want Festival & Awards 2024’ by NewsX kicked off today at the Taj Ambassador Hotel in New Delhi.Women leaders from diverse industries and backgrounds convened to tackle the most pressing issues affecting modern women. The event, held at the Taj Hotel, proved to be a remarkable success, providing an impeccable platform for women to celebrate their achievements and explore ways to increase their representation in politics, industry, and managerial positions.

Male infertility

Newsx Editor Devika Chopra interviewed, Dr. Gauri Aggarwal, founder and director of Seeds of Innocence (a chain of IVF clinics),  who asks about the reasons for male infertility.  To this, Dr. Gauri replied, “Infertility is a complex issue that affects both men and women, yet society often places the blame solely on women. This societal stigma can lead to feelings of shame and embarrassment for women struggling with infertility, impacting their mental well-being.”

She further advised, “It’s crucial to recognize that infertility is not always the result of a woman’s actions or biology. Various factors are at play, including medical conditions, genetics, and environmental influences. Placing the blame on women only perpetuates harmful stereotypes and adds unnecessary stress to an already challenging situation. Society needs to shift its perspective and offer support and understanding rather than judgment and condemnation toward individuals facing infertility.”

Dr. Gauri also emphasized that society plays a crucial role in changing the narrative around infertility and refraining from blaming women for their struggles to conceive. She said, “It is important to recognize that infertility is a medical condition that can affect anyone, regardless of gender’

TESA: PROCEDURE TO TREAT MALE INFERTILITY

She further added, male infertility is common, and here we are conducting a case study where a childless couple can have their own child through a procedure called TESA. It is important to shun the taboo that men cannot have infertility problems. Even if men don’t smoke or drink, they can still face infertility issues.

In most, if not all, societies, fertility and parenthood are highly valued. However, the implications of this may differ for men and women. It has been suggested that society views motherhood as the ultimate expression of being a woman, while fatherhood is merely one aspect of men’s lives and identities.

Male infertility has not been extensively researched due to confusion between potency and fertility, making it a taboo subject. If a man’s semen doesn’t contain sperm, there could be many reasons. Factors such as prolonged laptop use, phones on vibrations, and lifestyle choices can contribute to this. Low sperm count is referred to as oligospermia.

Testicular Sperm Aspiration (TESA) is a procedure that can be used to treat low sperm count. In this procedure, a trained specialist uses a sharp needle to extract sperm directly from the testicles. TESA is utilized when there is a low sperm count or when there is no sperm in the ejaculate, a condition known as azoospermia.