Many unaware of HMC’s fertility clinics Monday, 16 January 2012 06:16

DOHA: A number of men and women in Qatar suffering from infertility have been denied proper treatment either because the cases go unreported or they fail to get the services of a specialised clinic, say experts at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).

To address this issue the Urology Department at the HMC that runs a Male Infertility Clinic is planning to launch an awareness campaign in collaboration with primary health centres.

The prevalence of infertility among couples in Qatar is estimated to be 15 to 16 percent, which is more or less similar to the international rate, according Dr Mohamed Mostafa Arafa, specialist of Urology and Male Infertility at HMC.

Addressing a press conference yesterday along with Dr Sami Al Said and Dr Haitham Al Bardisi, both consultants at the Urology Department, Arafa said the infertility clinics at HMC have been providing specialised services to affected couples but many are not aware of their services.

“There is an internationally approved protocol for treating couples affected with infertility. It needs elaborate investigation to identify the causes for infertility before deciding the treatment. Quite often, such couples end up with a private clinic or a primary health centre without being referred to the infertility clinics at HMC,” said Arafa.

The Urology Department yesterday organised a symposium on male infertility involving doctors from primary health centres.

“This symposium is part of our efforts to develop a joint strategy with primary health centres to address infertility among couples and ensure that they get the proper treatment,” added Al Said.

Prevalence of infertility among men and women has been found to be on an equal level- 40 percent each - while the remaining 20 percent is shared by both, in the case of couples.

“There is a procedure for treating infertility among couples. They should first go to a primary health centre and after completing the preliminary investigation, the health centre would refer the case to the infertility clinics at HMC. However, such cases sometimes do not reach our department and get lost elsewhere. We want to create more awareness on this issue, among physicians at health centres as well as private clinics and hospitals,” said Al Bardisi.

He said as per the procedure followed by the HMC, such cases should be first referred to the Male Infertility Clinic for conducting the tests on the husband. It could be later referred to the female infertility clinic at the Women’s Hospital based on the findings of these tests.

The Male Infertility Clinic at HMC attends to about 40 cases daily, including those undergoing follow up treatment.

“We have patients not only from Qatar but also from several other Gulf and Arab countries,” said Al Bardisi.

Besides genetic and hormonal factors, infections, obesity, smoking, and occupational factors such as overexposure to heat can lead to infertility. It is very important to identify the reasons and this would require extensive talking with the couples, before going to the medical tests.

“Fertility is not just a medical problem. It is also social problem involving families and relatives from both sides. We are also coordinating with the Family Counselling Center to identify the cases and raise community awareness on the issue,” said Al Said.

An increasing number of couples - both nationals and expatriates - are now opting for invitro fertilisation (IVF) at HMC after the success and popularity of the process, said Arafa. The Peninsula

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