Dr. Jeyarani Kamaraj talks about pregnancy and its follow-up …

Today, the incidence of infertility is on the rise. What are the factors that are contributing to this situation? Are the couples responsible or the circumstances or economic factors, family problems? Whatever may be the reason, it is better to get tested and treated for this deficiency, says Dr. Jeyarani Kamaraj.

Q: : Is there any connection between the mindset of women and infertility (Childlessness)?

A: Definitely … depression is caused by many factors - workload, family situation, economic problems etc. During my experience, I’ve found many women who come to me for treatment for the problem of childlessness suffering from depression. Some women get depression due to the fact that they’ve to be treated for childlessness. They get problems in menopause due to depression. The functioning of pituitary gland leading to imbalanced hormone production is responsible for irregular periods. Also, lumps are formed in the ovaries. Women, if they miss their periods immediately conclude that they are pregnant. They might even develop symptoms of pregnancy like vomiting, dizziness etc. due to their anxiety to become pregnant. This kind of emotion results in the formation of cysts. The doctor usually considers the following factors – regularity of periods, growth of the egg, the time of maturity and release of the egg and suggests dates for intercourse that would bring about successful conception. The couple gets depression due to anxiety over the above considerations. This type of depression is called night syndrome.

We advise such women to do yogasanas, meditation or reiki. Also, we’ll advise the couple to have sex on alternate days. We’ll advise housewives to go for job to get over their depression. We’ll counsel women on many things like this.

Q: : What kinds of problems of men cause childlessness?

A: For men, low sperm count is the main reason for childlessness. Infections that had attacked them in their younger days might also be responsible for their low count. Those men who had had small pox or chicken pox have the risk of their sperm counts becoming very low. In the case of some men, the production of sperms would have been affected due to some birth defects. Infections like gonorrhea, tuberculosis and injuries might also cause blockage in the thin tubes attached to the sperm duct. Viral infection in prostate glands would affect the mobility of the sperms. So, if a man gets infection in his younger days, it is better to get his sperm count tested. This test should be done before marriage. Tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases also might cause blockage in spermatic cords and inflammation in testes. This will lead to destruction of sperms. Medicines for hypertension and epilepsy might also cause defects in sperm count. Drugs and smoking also affect sperms and result in childlessness.

Q: : What kinds of problems in women result in the birth of babies with Down syndrome problem?

A: Some women, who are elderly, give birth to babies with this problem. Also, hereditary factors play an important role. If the first child is born with this problem, the risk for the second child is high. During the actual time of conception, if problems arise in the union of chromosome cells in the eggs, Down syndrome baby is a possibility.

Q: : Some babies are born with jaundice …

A: The baby might get jaundice on the fifth day of its birth due to allergy in blood group. Supposing the mother’s blood group is RH Negative and the father’s is RH Positive and the child’s group is also RH positive, allergy problem will arise, leading to jaundice. Also, if the liver is affected, the baby gets jaundice.