The 21st annual scientific conference on Women's Health Challenges which concluded today in Jeddah stressed the alarming rise in the rate of infertility worldwide, particularly the gulf region which occupies an advanced position in terms of number of infertility cases. The participants concluded that 60 to 80 million women in the world are suffering from infertility. In a research paper presented by Professor Hassan Gamal, chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Society for Gynecology and Obstetrics and the conference's chairman said that sterility is a problem generally the couples share pointing that statistics show that men are responsible for 35% of the infertility cases and women are involved in 50% of the entire cases, 10 % are attributed to unknown causes and 5% are for unusual cases. He said there are two types of infertility in women – the first type they develop at the beginning of the marital life and the second one happens after miscarriage and conceiving outside the uterus pointing out that the absence of sperms or their weakness are thought to be the chief factors for infertility which men suffer from. He said there are unavoidable tests to diagnose man's sexual performance, most importantly is sperm analysis through ultrasound to assess the condition of the testes and also to find if there is varicose. He said the investigations which women should do include the assessment of the functions of the ovaries by examining the hormones in blood besides taking a biopsy from uterus besides following up the size and growth of the ovary with ultrasound. He said the treatment could be made with medicine, surgery, artificial insemination, or assisted reproductive technology. Many times these treatments are combined.
