Why is fertility decreasing?
The 15th Turkish-German Gynecology Congress, organized by the Turkish-German Gynecology Education, Research and Service Foundation (TAJEV), was held in Antalya between April 23-27...
More than 1,500 participants from 13 countries followed the congress, where topics such as polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, vaccination during pregnancy, vitamin supplements during pregnancy, nutrition, and the use of 'artificial intelligence' in treatments were discussed.
Within the scope of the congress; a press conference was held with the participation of experts in the field such as Turkish German Gynecology Education, Research and Service Foundation (TAJEV) Board of Directors Chairman Prof. Dr. Cihat Ünlü, world-renowned name in endometriosis surgery Prof. Dr. Ceana Nezhat and Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialist, TAJEV Secretary General Prof. Dr. Yusuf Üstün... Prof. Dr. Ünlü, Prof. Dr. Nezhat and Prof. Dr. Ünlü made special statements to SÖZCÜ after the meeting...
MANY FOODS WE EAT AND DRINK ALSO DAMAGE OUR REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS
I asked Prof. Dr. Mehmet Cihat Ünlü, who stated that infertility rates are rapidly increasing in our country, about the reasons for this and the roadmap that couples should follow… Here are his statements:
- In women; ovulation problems, polycystic ovary disease, endometriosis (chocolate cysts), previous ovarian inflammations, blockages in the tubes due to infections or surgeries can cause infertility. - In men, there can be no sperm in the semen (azoospermia), a decrease in sperm count and mobility, and varicocele can be seen. - In recent years, women have been postponing having children due to career planning. Advanced age also stands out as an important factor in infertility. - Pesticides, hormones in the foods we eat and drink, toxic substances we get from genetically modified, additive-containing, corn syrup-containing, trans-fat ready-made foods, and environmental pollution harm our reproductive organs, eggs, and testicles.
- Endocrine (hormone) disruptors, plastics, cosmetics, radiation, alcohol, smoking, obesity and stress also increase infertility. Therefore, the process of getting pregnant becomes longer and more difficult.
According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, while the average number of children a woman gave birth to in her lifetime was 2.38 in 2001, this number dropped to 1.51 in 2023. In other words, there is a very serious decline. In medical books written until 1960, while a normal man had 250 million sperm per milliliter, this rate dropped to 15 million per milliliter... We now say to a man with 15 million sperm per milliliter, 'you are a great man'. Therefore, infertility problems occur when sperm rates decrease in men.
IMPORTANT ADVICE FOR YOUNG GIRLS AND WOMEN
Prof. Dr. Cihat Ünlü gave the following advice to young girls and women who are planning to have children: - First of all, we recommend that they do not plan to have children too late. A woman can get pregnant while working. - There is also a concept called 'social freezing' for women who marry late. In other words, if the patients who come to us are not married and are older, there is an alternative for storing eggs, the state approves this, but there is a cost. - We definitely recommend that young girls whose mothers, grandmothers, or sisters went through menopause at an early age have their egg reserves measured. We can legally freeze the eggs of every woman, whether single or married.
- We recommend that young girls who experience menstrual cramps or have polycystic ovary problems see a gynecologist once a year. If a young girl or a young lady has her period less than 35 days or more frequently than 21 days, we say that she should definitely get checked by a gynecologist.
SÖZCÜ
