Clinical Andrology- Booming Career for Medical Students.
Andrology, a branch of reproductive science, focuses on the male reproductive system. Andrologists are the male equivalent for gynaecologists, who are trained in treating and diagnosing conditions related to male fertility and sexual dysfunction.
Infertility mostly regarded as a female issue is a delusion. Malefactors accounts for around 50% of all infertility cases and approximately 7% of all men are affected, due to reproductive anomalies.
There are several factors contributing to the decline in sperm quality and sperm count such as environmental factors, unbalanced diet, sedentary lifestyle, stress and exposure to electromagnetic radiation from gadgets and subjection to high temperatures.
Depending on the sperm quality- count, motility and morphology, sperm is categorized into oligozoospermia , asthenozoospermia , teratozoospermia , cryptozoospermia , azoospermia. The majority of the men face issues with sperm count and motility.
An andrologist plays an important role in fertility clinics, to perform several tests to classify the degree of male infertility.
As an andrologist, you’d be focusing on:
- Sperm function
- Semen analysis
- Erectile dysfunction
- Vasectomy to confirm clinical infertility
- Testicular biopsy evaluations
- Ejaculation evaluation
As an andrologist, you will be a part of an integral team, of embryologist, infertility specialists, nurses and counselors to collectively carry out the responsibility of treating an infertile couple.
You will also work in sperm preparation for various subsequent procedures like IUI, IVF, ICSI and IVM.
A paper published in the Human Reproduction Update, reveals that the sperm count has fallen by 50% i.e., 99 million sperm millilitre to 47 million sperm millilitre from 1970-2011. This could also result in a reduction of fecundity. Without proper knowledge and awareness, these numbers can further reduce, having an effect on the population numbers.
The career prospects of an andrologist are expected to grow at a faster rate due to the increase in the incidence of men facing infertility issues. The aging population of men and greater awareness of human reproductive health is driving the growth in the job market.
Learning about male infertility in greater detail would help you in acquiring the skill to take a clinical history and carryout clinical examination of patients and treat them by making excellent decisions about sperm quality and count. Individuals with interest in this field can make breakthrough inventions in reproductive biology and can also consider joining academics and reputed hospitals.