Sexuality, Sexual Health, STDS, Fertility, Sub-Fertility and Infertility
Abstract:
Background: Sexuality is a natural human instinct tied to both pleasure and reproduction. Sexual well-being is not just physical but is also emotional and psychological health. The first or initial few sexual interactions and behaviors, Premarital sex exposure’ Promiscuity, unprotected sex led Sexually Transmitted diseases, and their consequences hinder performance and often lead to stress and anxiety in both partners. Sexual capacity varies with age & health. Misinformation like frequent sexual activity or masturbation led to weakness, or myths of nu trient loss or harm from ejaculation are unfounded & lack scientific basis. Infertility affects 10% of couples today, yet cultural taboos often cause silence around sexual health. Normal fertility requires the production of enough healthy sperm by the male and viable ova by the female, successful passage of the sperm through open ducts from the male testes to the female fallopian tubes, penetration of a healthy egg, and implantation of the fertilized egg in the lining of the uterus. Conception in healthy fertile couples happens on an average after 8 months of reg ular intercourse without any protection at least on alternate days. A problem with any of these steps can cause infertility. Performance anxiety, infertility stress, & lack of privacy contribute to sexual dysfunction. Marriage or consummation age for girls in Urban India over the last 2 decades is increasing beyond 25 years of females, followed by delaying the first pregnancy is leading to missing the best opportunity of Fertility in women which is at the highest level during their twenties and thirties, though in men fertility remains high until their forties. Use of condoms for safe sex or spacing leads to sexual dissatisfaction giving way to use of hormonal pills for the f irst 2-3 years of marriage, has become a norm than exception. Oral contraceptives do disturb woman’s natural hormonal balance, conversely subfertility follows even after the stoppage of oral pills for months and even a year or two, creating psychological & sexual challenges, and affect ovarian reserves, such couples often report less satisfaction with sex. Sexual medicine, sexually transmitted diseases, hormonal contraception and infertility are interconnected fields that address a wide range of conditions affecting both men and women.
Materials and Methods: This article based on 7 case reports of married couples, women in their late ‘Twenties & early thirties” using contraceptives for 2-4 years & struggling to conceive.
Outcomes: Three couples using contraception after first gravida/Para to space pregnancies, struggling for 2-3 years for the return of ovular cycles needed treatment. Two more such oral pill users for delaying pregnancy after marriage had to wait for 18-24 months to conceive after stopping. One infertile couple in their late thirties adopting a girl baby and the most senior couple have accepted as nature’s curse and leading pious life. All of them reported sexual disfunction and suspected the partners during waiting periods mainly due to anxiety or stress.
