By ignoring male reproductive health, women are responsible for the inability to conceive and the responsibility for health costs. (Photo courtesy Creative Commons)
Reproduction was historically perceived as a “woman’s business”. From health care to gender norms to reproductive policies, men’s reproductive health deserves to be in an unequal society where we continue to overlook an important piece of the infertility puzzle: sperm, in the spotlight.
The sperm count “crisis” warns that declining sperm counts pose a threat to the future of mankind; However, scientists are not considering alternative explanations for the obvious link between low sperm count and fertility. While sperm count is important, it may not be the ultimate predictor of fertility – we need to look at sperm health.
Male infertility accounts for about a third of infertility cases worldwide, but women are to blame for the inability to conceive. With the advent of reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization, women’s bodies have been meticulously targeted and used as guinea pigs for frontline treatments to treat fertility problems caused by male factors.
We see a common pattern of women being warned to watch out for their daily diet, smoking and drinking habits for the sake of their reproductive health, but never the same precautions for men. Lifestyle choices like alcohol and drug use can damage sperm and lower sperm counts. Recent research shows that men’s pre-conception health can damage sperm and lead to pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriages, birth defects, and teething problems.
The influence of reproductive toxins on male infertility also deserves further investigation. Environmental exposure to endocrine disruptors, a class of hormone-like chemicals commonly found in everyday toiletries, has been found to decrease sperm quality and motility – these dangerous threats to reproductive health can be identified and prevented.
Rene Almeling, medical sociologist and author of GUYnecology: The Missing Science of Men’s Reproductive Health, argues that science still lacks a basic understanding of sperm. In medicine, there are two major specialties devoted to women’s reproductive health – obstetrics and gynecology – with no comparable specialties to men’s reproductive health.
If we continue to focus solely on women’s health, we are neglecting the reproductive risk associated with men’s bodies and perpetuating unfair gender norms surrounding reproductive policy. The implicit association of reproductive health and women’s health is reminiscent of the message that procreation is still only a women’s issue. This amalgamation does women no favors and increases the knowledge gap for couples trying to conceive.
The lack of birth control pills for men highlights the need to rethink an important research agenda: alternative methods of contraception for men. The fact that women bear most of the financial and health burdens of contraception is unfair; There are an abundance of fertility treatments for women, while condoms and vasectomy are the only two birth control options for men. It pays to continue efforts to understand male infertility and take shared responsibility for birth control.
We’re seeing an increase in women’s health campaigns run by organizations like the American Women Medical Student Association, but a serious lack of discussion about men’s health. Men’s health needs to be included in fertility summits to increase men’s understanding and control over their own reproductive health. Hospitals should promote infographics and provide resources on men’s health – maintaining your reproductive health should be normalized for men.
It is now more important than ever to educate boys and men about their reproductive health, including how lifestyle and the environment can affect the condition of their sperm and therefore the health of their future children. Teachers should implement men’s reproductive health curricula in health education and sex education to broaden the discussion about men’s health.
Men’s reproductive health is not about devaluing women’s health. It is about equal opportunities in health care and closing the knowledge gap in reproductive medicine.
source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/daily-trojan-mens-reproductive-health-matters/
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