4 in every 10 couples in Brunei have fertility woes

RACHEL THIEN
BRUNEI-MUARA

FOUR out of 10 couples in Brunei have a fertility problem, said the Jerudong Park Medical Centre’s (JPMC) head of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine Unit.

“Over the years, many couples are coming in for infertility treatment. The main reason stems from late marriages,’’ Dr Chitra Karat told The Brunei Times recently. “By the time they come to us for treatment to conceive, they are already from 35 years or 38 years of age.”

In 2014, the reproductive medicine unit recorded over 3,000 visits.

Dr Karat said the later couples decide, the more difficult it is for them to conceive. “The main reason being is that women are born with a certain number of eggs. When they get older, the eggs are as old as they are. That is why it becomes difficult for them to conceive, therefore some assistance is needed,’’ she said.

The second reason is due to endometriosis, which seems to be very high in Brunei.

“Endometriosis is basically when a woman has menstruation, the blood needs to come out of the vagina. Sometimes, what happens is the blood goes into the muscle of the uterus and the endometrial tissue starts growing in the muscle of the uterus,’’ she explained.

She added that everytime the woman has her menstruation, these small tissues, which are inside or outside the muscle of the uterus, are bleeding.

“Everytime this bleeding occurs, they cannot come out and in that particular area where they are bleeding, they form either a cyst or growth,’’ she said.

Dr Karat said there have not been enough studies done to say why endometriosis is so common in Brunei.

“But when you look at literature, there are articles to say that people who live in areas where oil drilling is going on are more common,’’ she said.

She explained that based on the foreign articles, there is some chemical in the oil which disperses in the air which people are breathing.

“So, toxin levels in the body are high. However, this (theory) has not been proven in Brunei,’’ she said.

Lifestyle is another factor, including the type of food a person eats, Dr Karat added.

When patients come in for infertility treatments, JPMC sees them as a couple. There is no seeing one person alone, Dr Karat said.

“Couples should try to complete their family by the age of 35, because after that, it is difficult to conceive. Career is important, but side by side, the family is also important,’’ she said.

JPMC is the only institute in Brunei offering all types of treatment for infertility, starting from ovulation induction, intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), said Dr Karat.


Sumber - The Brunei Times