Nisha Duggal successfully climbed several rungs of the corporate ladder when she finally decided to ‘hit’ the next milestone i.e, having a baby. Now even after five years, she is still ‘trying’ to hit that milestone. Days, however, turned into months and months into years as Nisha, now 40, has so far spent lakhs of rupees at different infertility clinics to carry her bundle of joy in her womb. “When science failed to treat me, I tried many gharelu nuskas (home remedies) as well, but all in vain,” she said.

Nisha is not the only woman in India who is struggling with infertility, as there has been a spurt in the number of women who have been dealing with fertility issues.

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Infertility- The Problem That has Grown Manifold

Finding out the real cause of infertility is a complex process. Ranging from a visible cyst problem, fibroid or hormonal imbalance to complex genetic disorders and occupational hazards, the reason could be anything. In fact, strangely, infertility is not making any distinction in ‘choosing’ her patients as couples under 25 are also dealing with fertility problems in India. As per experts, nearly 15% of couples from the age group of 21 to 25 years are facing fertility problems.

Infertility, in both men and women, has become a common trend nowadays.

1 out of 5 couples is childless and their number is growing at an alarming rate

Since 1981, 5% jump in infertility in urban India

17% of childless women face with marital problems as compared to 2% with kids

10% of young males have sperm issues

In our society, where it is ‘only’ a woman’s job to take the ‘vansh’ forward, it’s hard to understand the pain and agony of a woman who is unable to conceive because the fertility issue is with her partner.

In a modernized society, the conceding problem has expanded and has impacted men as well. In fact, as per studies, male infertility is the cause in nearly 40% of couples facing infertility troubles as compared to around 20% a decade ago. The most common issues men face today are low sperm count, low mortality of sperm and morphology abnormalities.

It is an alarming rate which could be due to changing lifestyle, stress work atmosphere, high consumption of alcohol/tobacco and rising obesity among others. Then swelling of blood vessels around tests and hernia surgery can also lead to infertility among men.

Dealing with infertility

To fight against infertility, it is essential to know the cause behind it. Many times, by introducing simple changes in your lifestyle, like quitting smoking/alcohol, taking up exercise, following a healthy diet, etc; it is feasible to conceive naturally.

Then there are IVF procedures which are spreading happiness in the lives of childless couples. However, the IVF treatment doesn’t come easy. The cost of IVF in India can range between Rs 60,000 and Rs 80,000. However, most couples have to spend over Rs 3 lakh due to multiple IVF cycles.

Then if the pregnancy problem is due to low or poor sperm quality, then a couple can go with sperm donor as well for which they would need to shell out anywhere between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000, which again could vary from case to case.

Healthcare checks you must do

• Curtail your exposure to toxic chemicals
• Have a balanced diet
• Check yourself for STD sexually transmitted diseases)
• Avoid caffeine, smoking and alcohol
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle

InfertilityDost – A Fertility Wellness Platform

When you are struggling with infertility, it can feel like no one is around there to support you. You might have thousands of friends on facebook, a long contact list on your Smartphone or lakhs of followers on twitter, but somehow, you would feel there is no one here to understand you. After all, they need to be in your shoes to understand how you feel.

When you broke up with your boyfriend, your friend’s shoulder is there to console you, when you crashed your car, your father and brother are there to rescue you. But when you are fighting with fertility issues, even your closest persons won’t be able to help you. Without experiencing your sadness and anger, it’s just difficult for them to say or do the right things.

We are building a holistic platform to educate, counsel, handhold and provide tools to facilitate informed treatment decision. We provide lifestyle and treatment counseling, not for patients going through infertility issues but also as a preventive healthcare.

We at InfertilityDost have come into existence with a prime objective of helping couples who face problems in conceiving. They say, you can’t understand a situation unless you don’t feel it. At InfertilityDost, we have a team of such people who may belong to different parts of the society but they all have experienced or seen infertility or fertility issues at some point in their lives. Either they were victim or witness!

We have developed an emotional support group on social media networks where you can talk and vent out your frustrations or anger anonymously. It is a platform where we salute those fighters also who fought and won the struggle of infertility.

Many times, ignorance about infertility and various treatments like IVF make the journey more difficult. We have a panel of experts which can guide you about infertility and various procedures associated with it.

Remember, we all have been on the same boat with one difference only— I traveled first, so I can understand what you have been going through. Sometimes, you don’t need lectures, advice or tips but only an ear that can listen to you and with whom you can be what you are without being judged.

Instead of blaming God for your state, take charge of your happiness and write your own destiny!For more such articles check out the blog.

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The author of this article is Ms. Gitanjali Banerjee . The founder of InfertilityDost had a 10-year-long tryst with infertility wherein she decided to change the way this issue is perceived in society and managed by patients. She hopes to wipe away a few tears for those stuck on the journey to fertility. Her life’s biggest pain is now her greatest strength and she dreams of a society where infertility is just a disease, a curable one, and has no implications on your being a woman or man.

Write to her at banerjee.gitanjali@gmail.com