Here is what IT can do to him and her

Here is what IT can do to him and her
G NAGA SRIDHAR

HYDERABAD: If you are a highly strung geek whose normal workday is a 16-hour slog in tune with Eastern Standard Time, it pays to heed infertility experts’ advice: wear no underwear to work.

For software companies’ medical consultants are reporting that there is a spurt in the number of infertility problems among techies—both men and women.

Frequently, this is traceable to low sperm count, menstrual problems and hormonal imbalances.

Consultants blame this on the stress and work conditions that are normal to a techie. For instance, a direct effect of long hours spent in front of a PC can be higher testicular temperature, leading to low sperm count. Therefore the underwear solution.

According to experts, stress and deadlines are playing havoc with young couples wanting to start a family.

Vinay (29, name changed), IT pro of seven years and husband of one-and-a-half year, wants to be a father but it’s just not happening. Doctors found he had a low sperm count and put it down to his workathons at office.

"Though IT has nothing to do with infertility, long work hours and sedentary lifestyle are the prime causes of infertility," says Dr Roya Rozati.


According to experts, infertility can be the result of the interplay of stress and work conditions. "Most IT professionals can be described as Type-A personalities vulnerable to stress, which may cause hormonal imbalances. A majority of them seldom do physical exercise. These factors add up to make them infertile," says Apollo Hospital sports medicine consultant Dr S Bakhtiyar Choudhary.

Stress can take a toll on women IT pros too, by playing havoc with their menstrual cycles.

For married professionals, the problem is much more acute. Doctors say there’s a spurt in women reporting loss of ovulation, which they link to hormonal imbalances caused by work conditions.

"A team leader in an IT company came to me sobbing. The tension at her work place was wrecking her married life. We found she had a serious ovulation problem. I asked her to move to a tension-free job," an expert said.

THE WAY OUT
Adopt active lifestyle
Keep fit
Avoid junk food
No soft drinks
Get proper sleep
Avoid tight clothes

What IT does

TO HIM

Long work hours in front of PC can raise testicular temperature, bringing down sperm count
Stress, sedentary work and fatigue raise oestrogen levels and kill sex drive

TO HER

Stress triggers hormonal storms and menstrual woes
Ovulation is disrupted

©Bennett, Coleman and Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.