Malaria can have implications for your reproductive health

 Malaria can have implications for your reproductive health

On the occasion of World Malaria Day, awareness needs to be created how the disease and its treatment can impact both sexes’ reproductive health

 New Delhi, April 24, 2015: Malaria can have serious effects on one’s reproductive health. Although rare, the disease can hamper semen quality in males and increase miscarriage risks in females said Dr. Kaberi Banerjee, a leading IVF and Infertility specialist and the Clinical Director of Advance Fertility & Gynecological Center on the occasion of World Malaria Day.

Presently, malaria affects people in more than 100 countries across the Globe including India. There are various health effects of this infection and at times its treatment modalities also have some side effects. When a man suffers from high-grade fever during malaria, he may suffer from severe azoospermia (no measurable level of sperm in semen), necrozoospermia (sperm in semen is either dead or immobile) or oligospermia (low sperm count). However, in most of the cases, recovery occurs once the person is cured. Thus, couples who try to conceive around that period when the male partner is affected with malaria or has just recovered, success rates are comparatively low.

On the occasion of World Malaria Day, Dr. Kaberi Banerjee said, “Not many are aware that a parasitic disease like malaria can affect the reproductive health of both men and women. Apart from the disease itself, we sometimes see that quinine and chloroquine, the antimalarial alkaloids that are used, cast effect on the quality of sperm and blood levels of some reproductive hormones (follicle-stimulating hormone, testosterone and luteinizing hormones) in males. In some cases, they also hamper the egg quality in females. Malaria also increases miscarriage risks. There could be no better platform than World Malaria Day to raise awareness about these lesser known effects of malaria. However, more research needs to be done in this area to ascertain the exact effects of malaria on male and female infertility.”

In pregnancy, being diagnosed with malaria can harm both the mother and the unborn fetus. It can cause severe parasitic infection and anemia in the fetus thus, becoming a major cause of maternal mortality. The disease can also cause premature birth or low weight which leads to increased risk of neonatal mortality.

As it is said prevention is better than cure, it is better to avoid mosquito bites by using insect repellents, covering the arms and legs properly and using an insecticide-treated mosquito net. It is also important to know the symptoms of malaria like fever, chills, headache, sweats, nausea and fatigue so that immediate medical attention is sought and the effects of malaria minimized.

Dr. Kaberi Banerjee:

Dr. Kaberi Banerjee is a seasoned Obstetrician and Gynecologist with more than a decade of experience in IVF infertility management. She is an infertility and IVF specialist, trained from the prestigious Guys and St Thomas Hospital, London, where she went as a commonwealth scholar. She has spent three years in London (UK) and done rigorous training in infertility and IVF. She has worked as Senior IVF specialist in major corporate hospitals in Delhi and performed more than 3000 IVF cycles so far. Her field of expertise includes repeat IVF failures and its treatment, donor and surrogacy procedures. Dr. Banerjee has received many renowned national awards, including IMA award in IVF in 2007 and Bharat Jyoti Award in 2008, for outstanding contribution to medicine.