|
|
Often preventing infertility is much easier and better than treating it! What can you do to reduce the risk of being infertile?
The biggest preventable danger to fertility is due to uncontrolled sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. These can cause irreparable damage to the reproductive tract in both men and women. STDs can be prevented by:
Often, couples will want to postpone childbearing after marriage. Contraception can also pose a hazard to future fertility, if not selected carefully.
IUDs should not be used in women who are at risk for STDs because they increase the risk of pelvic inflammation; and it may be a good idea not to use IUDs in women who have never conceived.
Oral contraceptives usually have no direct effect on fertility at all. However, women who have irregular anovulatory cycles before taking the pill will find that their irregular cycles return once they stop the pill and they may need treatment for this.
The use of depot contraceptives (such as Norplant) can interfere with the resumption of ovulation, causing infertility, but this is uncommon.
Sterilization (tubal ligation and vasectomy) as a method of family planning should be offered only to patients who are sure they have completed their families; have received adequate counseling; and whose children have grown up.
An important preventable cause of testicular damage in men is uncorrected undescended testes. Undescended testes should be surgically treated at an early age to prevent damage - preferably before the age of two years. This requires educating mothers of young boys and doctors as well.
It may also be a good idea to immunize boys against mumps in childhood, thus preventing the ravage that mumps can cause to the testes in later life.
© Dr. Aniruddha Malpani and Dr. Anjali Malpani www.drmalpani.com
Credits: How to Have a Baby: Overcoming Infertility
