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Infertility is breaking the hearts of couples on a global scale. According to the Journal of Counseling and Development, 3.5 million couples in the United States are infertile, while The Times of India indicates that 20 per cent of couples trying to conceive in India are also infertile. Of those 20 per cent, it seems that 60 per cent of these cases can be explained by addressing one main culprit: Low sperm count.

The American Pregnancy Association lists hormone disorders and the use of alcohol, tobacco, or other illicit drugs as some of the main causes for low sperm count in North American men, while Dr. Rima Dada assesses those men born and raised in India. Dada, associate professor of anatomy at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi explains that environmental and lifestyle causes and choices explain the dramatic decrease in sperm count amongst East Indian men residing in India. In fact, doctors have stated that sperm count for a normal adult male in India has decreased by one-third of what it was 30 years ago. Why? Factors such as stress, being overweight, and pesticide exposure seem to be the most popular reasons—but there are more.

“Laptops too affect fertility, because they are frequently positioned close to the scrotum. The user sits with his thighs close together, and this traps the scrotum between the thighs,” a recent study conducted by the AIIMS found, according to the Times of India. Other possible factors listed were wearing tight underwear or trousers, bathing in very hot water, and sitting for long periods of time. And while riding a bicycle may be good for your heart, it may not be good for your sperm! “Men who spend more time riding a bicycle could be pedaling their fertility away,” said an article in a February 2010 issue of Times of India, recapping a study initially presented at a European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference. The study found that those men who rode their bicycles more than 180 miles per week had a lower-than-average sperm count, rendering them less likely to be able to father a child.

Dr V. Jayabalan, a Malaysian-based fertility specialist, reminds us that there is more to the infertility story than just sperm count. In fact, this doctor’s plot points directly at the changing role of women as the main reason for the ever-growing infertility dilemma.

"They are getting married late now as they have to build a career alongside men to become equal breadwinners,” he says.

Jayabalan, commenting on why Malaysians are having fewer children now than they did in the 1990s points out three factors that he feels are directly correlated with failed conception. The eating habits of many women (he said many, not all) have transformed from wholesome, from-scratch meals to “eating on the go” and supersize take-out. Women with careers consume large quantities of additive-filled junk food, often injected with hormones, making it that much more difficult to become pregnant, Jayabalan explains. He also points directly at female smokers, a habit that has definitely become more prevalent in the last twenty years. Finally, women who engage in casual sex without protection, (again, he said some, not all) are at extremely high risks of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

“Venereal diseases such as gonorrhea and syphilis combined with previous abortions and smoking, which has gradually become increasingly common among women, can prevent conception and sometimes cause miscarriages," Jayabalan explains.

While some couples may continue to try their luck at making a baby the old-fashioned way, others consider alternative methods. One of the most popular, up until 2004, was investing in sperm donors. According to CTV News, Canada now has only 33 sperm donors to supply all of their infertile couples—and there are thousands of them. In 2004, the Assisted Human Reproduction Act was implemented, prohibiting payment to those who donated sperm or eggs. The result of this bill has left many hopeful, would-be parents at a loss while they wait for sperm donors who, quite frankly, are choosing to not donate for free.

“That’s left many couples, especially those among visible minorities, without many choices,” explains Dr. Hannam, a Toronto fertility specialist. “Today, there is one South Asian donor for all of Canada.”

To combat the “drought” that has surfaced from the passing of the Assisted Human Reproduction Act, fertility clinics in Canada are now accepting sperm from Outreach Health Services, an organization which imports sperm, mainly from the U.S. These sperm donators are paid $100 per visit.

In recent news, we see that Britain is also no stranger to this shortage of sperm donors. Our European friends; however, are facing different circumstances than what we see in North America. A legislative amendment has now allowed for children conceived by donated sperm to actually learn the identity of the donator by the time they turn 18. This has caused widespread panic, causing potential sperm donors to think twice about donating their little friends. Perhaps the child will come looking for them years into the future? Maybe the child will demand compensation from them once they learn their identity? What about those men who quite simply just don’t want to be found? But British law does state that the donor is not considered to be the guardian of this child and therefore does not have any monetary obligations. (Was that a breeze or did they all just breathe a sigh of relief?!)

Other options? Adoption? Foster parents? Buy a baby online? Let’s go back to that last one. Living in a world driven by information technology, I truly believed that nothing could shock me anymore. We can pay our bills from our recliners, we can order our groceries through a click of a mouse, and we can even transfer money from one end of the world to the other. Today, people are shopping online for books, clothes, furniture, electronics, and . . . sperm. While it doesn’t take rocket science to deem this as not exactly the safest practice, nor a legal practice, it is a practice that is definitely growing in popularity.

“It’s making our most intimate human relations, those from whom we receive life, into commercial or anonymous property,” says Margaret Somerville, director of the McGill Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law. With no knowledge of the donor’s medical history and criminal background, shopping illegally for sperm is not only risky, but quite frankly, it’s just plain stupid.

But desperate times call for desperate measures. Or do they? While some people would give their right arm to be blessed with a child to love and adore unconditionally, others are . . . a tad bit pickier. A New Delhi publication quotes doctors as saying that women seem to be looking for “the perfect sort of donor.” In fact, many of these doctors are faced with patients who are not only demanding pictures of the donor, but also want to hear his voice.

What sent my head spinning more than anything is a story about a 30-year-old New Delhi woman who tried having a baby for five years without succeeding. After all that anguish, pain, and disappointment, this is what she had to say:

“My husband is very good-looking and knowledgeable, and we were very selective about the donor. It took us time to select a person of similar calibre.” I think this one is self-explanatory.

While my heart doesn’t quite break for this particular woman, it does cry for those couples who want nothing more than to be parents, and for whatever reason, have not been able to conceive, I read stories about men who were able to father a child with their partners after undergoing treatment for testicular cancer. I read a story about a woman who gave birth to twin boys after losing an ovary to ovarian cancer. I read a story about a 42-year-old woman who, after breast cancer and chemotherapy, gave birth to her first baby girl. I read a story about a woman who tried for 12 years to become a mother, and got pregnant in her lucky number 13th year. With every story I read, I see positivity, I see progress, and I see that anything and everything is possible to those people who adamantly refuse to lose hope.

BY: JESSICA R. GERA / PUBLISHED: MAY 2010 ISSUE
(PHOTO BY FOTOLIA.COM)