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| Dr al-Said (centre) with Dr Arafa and al-Bardisi during the press conference yesterday |
The Male Fertility unit at the Hamad Medical Corporation’s Urology Department is assisting couples facing infertility problems to have children through the use of its latest and advanced micro-surgical facility, effective medication as well as genetic investigation.
The unit, which runs up to 14 clinics per week and receives close to 40 cases daily, is the only specialised centre of its kind in the country, besides the female fertility unit at the Women’s Hospital.
Patients being received at the unit are aged between 20 and 50 years.
“Some 15% of couples worldwide suffer infertility problem and the number of cases here in Qatar is not much different from elsewhere,” HMC urologist and andrologist Dr Sami S al-Said said at a press conference while announcing a one-day symposium on male fertility yesterday.
According to him, infertility in couples could lie with the male in around 40% of cases and female could also be the reason in also another 40% while causes involving both male and female are 20%.
Dr al-Said mentioned that infertility could have many causes including hormonal, genetic, infections, varicose, over-exposure to heat (sauna), obesity and certain medications used by pregnant women could also lead to infertility in some children later in life.
Speaking about the treatment options for the condition, he explained that while medications and surgery could work in many couples, some 20% may require invitro fertilisation (IVF).
IVF is a major treatment in infertility when other methods of assisted reproductive technology have failed.
“Medications and surgery have proven to work so well for many, whereas some one fifth of the patients may have to follow up on IVF, which is also another proven treatment for infertility,” Urology and Male Infertility specialist Dr Mohamed Mostafa Arafa explained adding: “Our centre is the only specialised centre dealing with male infertility and we are achieving a 100% success rate, especially with the use of medication, which usually last between one-two years.”
He said that the male fertility symposium targets Primary Health Care Department physicians and doctors.
“The aim of the symposium, chaired by the HMC Urology department chairman Dr Abdallah al-Naimi, is to educate the PEC physicians and doctors on things they need to know regarding male infertility and what manners of procedure they have to carry out on patients before they refer them to our centre for advance investigation and treatment,” urology specialist Dr Haitham al-Bardisi said.
“During the symposium, we will be educating the PEC doctors about our services as many of them are not aware of what we have to offer and also we will be informing them that the unit now has up to date, latest and advanced technique in genetic investigation as well as micro-surgical facilities,” Dr al-Said said.
