MALE AND FEMALE INFERTILITY

Infertility means inability of any species to conceive and to reproduce its kind. In general, the words infertility and sterility are used interchangeably. Estimates indicate that approximately 10 per cent of married couples are unable to reproduce or have children. The reasons vary according to the many different aspects of the problem.

The difficulty may be due to inability of the sperm cells of the male to travel into the female tract because of some obstruction in either the male or the female. Obviously studies must be made as to this condition on both husband and wife, before any positive decision is reached. Difficulties with glands are relatively insignificant because they are exceedingly uncommon. Psychological and emotional disturbances may lead to complete disorganization of both the male and female sexual activities. Certainly emotional causes may make it impossible for a man to be potent sexually.

There are of course cases in which either the male or female sex glands may be deficient in their reproduction of the necessary cells. Before a doctor will give a definite diagnosis he must make extensive and careful studies as to the marriage relationship and the general physical and mental conditions of both husband and wife, with particular attention to the sex organs and glands. He will have to study the question of dietary, glandular, or other disturbances. He may find it necessary to call in psychiatric consultation when the preliminary studies indicate the difficulties are chiefly mental or emotional.

In many instances physicians have found that detailed sex education is all that is necessary, because of some wrong sexual pattern that a married couple may have adopted. In the treatment of such conditions the use of both male and female sex glandular materials has been helpful in a few instances. Sometimes the difficulty is in the pituitary gland or in the ovary or in the male sex gland. In some instances, even, the giving of thyroid extract has been helpful as a sort of general glandular stimulation. Study of the sex cycle is also important, since there are certain periods when the woman is much more fertile than others, and the intensive efforts towards having a child may be concentrated in this period.

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FEMALE/MALE ENHANCEMENT