Dr. Rajamaheshwari, professor, uro-gynecology

Dr. Rajamaheshwari, professor, uro-gynecology, Madras Medical College talks about the latest advancement in gynecology...

About begetting a child

The chances of begetting a child depend on the age, married life, health condition of both the man and the woman etc. The egg of the woman is fertilized when one of the sperm cells of the man unites with the egg and fertilizes it. Many beget a child shortly after marriage, but for some, conception is delayed.

Reasons for non-conception

There are cases of non-conception even after ten years of married life. But whether the couple lived together all these ten years is an important factor. If any one of them had been out of station because of job, the chances of conception will naturally become less. If a newly married couple doesn’t beget the chance of a child even after one year of living together, attention should be paid and the cause found out. When such couples are examined, they’ll be having only minor problems. For instance, the woman’s periods may not be regular. This problem can be rectified easily with medicine. There will be two ovaries, one on each side, attached to the uterus. The Fallopian tube adjoins the ovaries. The matured egg travels down the Fallopian tube to the womb. During intercourse, the sperms enter the uterus and fertilize the matured egg there. On the third day, the egg will implant itself on the wall of the uterus and starts growing. If there arises any problem in this process, conception becomes difficult.

Women are always blamed for childlessness

Both the man and the woman can have problems. Conception will not take place if there is block in the Fallopian tube or if there is any infection like TB in the tube or if there’s the problem of endometriosis. If hormone functioning is not proper, it will lead to problems in menstrual cycles. Also, there will be problem in the egg maturing and entering the tube. Also, if there are tumors in the uterus or cysts in the ovaries, conception will not take place. But these problems can be rectified with medicine. In the case of men, semen test is the most important. The status of the sperm cells, count, mobility, size etc. plays important roles in determining the man’s capacity to fertilize the egg. There’ll be millions of sperm cells in the semen. It is enough if the strength is 60 million. If there are problems in the movement of the cells, or if there is any obstacle in the fine tubes through which they travel from the prostrate gland, or if there’s any other problem, everything can be treated by a physician.

Some girls do not attain maturity …

Normally, girls attain maturity between 11 and 16 years of age. But, if they don’t attain maturity even after they cross 16 years, a doctor should be consulted. Very rarely, a few girls may not be having uterus. They will not get periods. The doctor cannot do anything. But they will have healthy ovaries. So, they’ll have all the feminine features in their growth and will look a full woman. Some girls, who had attained maturity at the normal age, may not have regular periods due to blockage. A minor treatment will rectify this problem. Some women will have infantile uterus. They’ll not have ovaries, or the ovaries might be defective. These women will not have the full feminine growth.