Infertility common in Himachal

Infertility is a common condition among the residents of Himachal Pradesh and is mainly due to high incidence of tuberculosis of the uterus and fallopian tubes.

The problem of inadequate sperm production in males is also common in the hilly state. These facts came to light in a workshop that concluded near here on Sunday in which specialists of in-vitro fertilisation from Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh participated. Because of the difficult terrain and long travelling hours, patients often delay treatment for a long time, the experts observed.

Umesh N. Jindal, a gynaecologist, said the success rate of in-vitro fertilisation, a technique more than 35 years old, was 50 percent per attempt. The reasons for increased success rate are advances in embryology, freezing of embryos, and improved quality of equipment and medicine. Another gynaecologist, Abha Majumdar, spoke on the status of new medicine for the treatment of diseases like fibroids, endometriosis and low sperm count.