Making babies - Czech doctors battle infertility
With one of the lowest birth rates in the world, the Czech population is aging. Government measures aimed at making family life more attractive are not proving as effective as hoped and many experts warn that the decision by many people to put off starting a family or not to have children at all, could lead to major social and economic problems. But how much of a role does infertility play in this development?
This mother, who would like to remain anonymous, is one of an estimated 100-150 thousand Czechs- out of a population of ten million - who have fertility problems. In her and her husband's case doctors could not determine why they were unable to reproduce naturally. Dr Tonko Mardesic says many Czechs are infertile for various "modern" reasons:
"Seven to ten percent of all babies being born in this country are born after some kind of fertility treatment. This is a lot, I think. Women giving birth to their first child are older and older, but the fertility of a woman starts to decline at the age of thirty and we more and more see problems from the side of the men. Male infertility is on the increase.
"Lifestyle has definitely changed a lot but the most probable cause is the environment. This is because today's environment can have an impact on the reproductive function of men because the process of sperm generation is a very vulnerable one and many toxic substances that are around us may be the cause of this situation."
In fact, statistics show that at least fifty percent of the infertile population are men. But doctors say treatment is much more accessible in the Czech Republic than in neighbouring countries. If the affected ten percent of the population were to get treated, it would help increase the country's birth rate. Furthermore, doctors are well informed of the latest forms of treatment and the procedures are affordable. For example, the first three "in vitro" fertilisation attempts (a procedure in which eggs are removed from the ovaries, fertilised with sperm in a laboratory, and the resulting embryos are transplanted back to the uterus) are covered by insurance.
But according to Lenka Masindova from the NGO Ratolest, the country still lacks organisations that offer much needed psychological support.
"Ratolest is a non-profit project which has existed for four years. Our goal is the psycho-social support for individuals or pairs who have problems with fertility. Our organisation is in Prague and we are the only ones in this field."
Infertility can lead to many different emotions - depression, a sense of isolation, anger, embarrassment, or even guilt. Doctors providing treatment need to be able to slip into the role of psychologist - a task that many choose to disregard and a factor that discourages some people with fertility problems from getting treated.
