With Mumbai getting its first independent sperm bank, iTALK tells you how to beat infertility, often caused by stress and hectic schedules, without spending a fortune on IVF

In India, almost 36 million people suffer from infertility, and one in seven couples can't conceive. But it's not just women who are facing trouble, more than half the time, it's men who battle infertility. Reasons could vary from increased stress at work and interpersonal relations, to late marriages among career-driven couples, who delay childbirth. The longer you wait, the more the chances of facing infertility.

While Invitro Fertilisation (IVF), a process where eggs are removed from the ovaries and sperm is allowed to fertilise them in a fluid medium, has been practiced for a while, it's not accessible to everyone thanks to high costs involved (sometimes as high as a couple of lakhs). This is where sperm banks, like the one that was recently launched at Mulund in Mumbai, come to the rescue of single women and couples who are having trouble conceiving.

What are sperm banks?

"Sperm banks are akin to blood banks. They store frozen sperm samples sourced from donors, which are used by infertile couples. It can also be used by a fertile couple, who wish to store the husband/partner's sperm for future use. Male patients who fall in this category, usually travel extensively on work, staying away from home for long stretches, or could be individuals who've undergone chemotherapy, that's rendered them sterile," says Dr Aniruddha Malpani, IVF Specialist at Malpani Fertility Clinic.

Sperm banks have existed in India for long. Donors are paid around Rs 5,000 for each sperm samples, depending on the quality of their sperm.

What can Cause infertility
Men:
Blockage in men's ejaculatory duct Enlarged veins in the scrotum raise temperature in the testes
Low sperm count, poor sperm mobility or abnormally-shaped sperm.
Development of antibodies that kill sperm.
Women:
Tissue found in the uterine lining may grow outside the uterus.
Hormonal conditions that prevent the release of a mature egg from the ovaries.
If the eggs are damaged

IVF Vs Sperm banks
Dr CN Purandare Secretary General of Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India
Sperm banks help couples who are not likely to conceive. In some cases, IVF is still preferred since couples want their own sperm, rather than a donor's. But there are drastic differences in the cost involved. Sperm samples could cost between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000, and the total cost would be around Rs 9,000. The total cost of IVF could come to Rs 1lakh, with a need for repeated attempts.

In India, freezing sperm is not a lifestyle choice
Dr Sheetal Sabharwal Obstetrician and gynaecologist
While IVF is for couples fighting intertility only, sperm banks can also help fertile individuals who may wish to secure the sperm for future use.
But in India, it's still not a treatment popular as a lifestyle choice, and is being primarily used to beat infertlity.

How to tell if you are having trouble conceiving
If you have had regular, unprotected sex for more than a year (or six months, if you are over 35) without conceiving, see your doctor. Almost 90% of couples with infertility problems can be successfully treated.

Treatment options
Fertility drugs.
Artificial insemination: The male sperm is placed in the uterus at an appropriate time.
Surgery for blocked fallopian tubes, endometriosis, fibroids and ovarian cysts.
Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), where the the woman is elderly, or ovary function is abnormal, and hence, requires an egg donor.

How does it work?
Couples need to approach a clinic. Once they are approved, they can choose a donor through an anonymous and simple process. After the donor is chosen, the sperm is inserted in the uterus, and a normal pregnancy follows.
Cost: Unlike going in for a test-tube baby, a process which could cost you lakhs, this process will only cost you up to Rs 15,000.

What's the sperm donation process like?
Dilip Patil MD, Cryos International India explains
While earlier, most sperm banks were affiliated to clinics, and limited in reach, India now has independent banks like ours. Currently, we have samples from 18-20 donors.
Samples are will first be tested for Hepatitis B, C, HIV, Syphilis and Gnorrhoea. Every donor is expected to provide a medical history of the last 3 generations.
A psychological counsellor assesses the donor, and only then, are they allowed to deposit samples twice a week, over three months.
The sperm has to be quarantined for six months, so, Cryos' Mumbai branch will be able to provide sperm only by May 2009. Sperm is available to couples only through fertility clinics and gynaecologists they are being treated by.
Cryos has an online application process, through which interested donors can contact them: http://in.cryosinternational.com/home.aspx