● Dr. Dixie Constantini

Women have been ad­vised to cultivate the habit of frequently ex­amining the scrotum of their spouses with their fingers to see if it is of abnormal size.

This practice is more likely to help them (the women) see if there is a problem with the scrotum so that their partners will seek medical assistance from a Urologist as early as possible especially in cases where the couple has been trying to conceive.

“Infertility isn’t only a woman’s problem. Sometimes the men are the problem, too, and so you could gently help him examine his scrotum with your finger from time to time but do not press it too hard as this could cause pain”.

A Specialist Obstetri­cian Gynaecologist with the Women’s Health Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Dr Dixie Constantini said these in an interview with The Spectator on Wednesday.

She noted that varicocele which was a cause of infer­tility in men made the veins in a man’s scrotum (the sac where the testicles are found) sometimes be a little dilated than normal.

“This usually happens during the teenage years and can grow larger with time and is usually found on the left side and could be felt by touching the scrotum” she disclosed.

She said that the condition may not be painful in some men but for others, some­times they could cause pain or a bit of discomfort especially after the man had been en­gaged in a task that involved long hours of standing.

She said diagnosis was easily confirmed via ultra­sound of the scrotum.

“When the veins are dilated in this area , we say there is a varicocele present and varicoceles usually do not need to be surgically fixed if they don’t cause any prob­lems” Dr. Constantini said.

She warned that vari­cocele could cause fertility problems in men though some men might have it and have no problem with their fertility and so it was important that a Urologist was contacted to know which category one belonged.

“Having a varicocele can affect the temperature in or around the testicle. If the temperature is too high, it can affect sperm formation, movement and function. This can lead to low sperm pro­duction and decreased sperm quality, which can cause infer­tility” she said.

She said it was unfortunate that some men were unable to father a child just because of this problem that was easily solvable by visiting a urolo­gist.

She assured that once fixed, getting a partner preg­nant was usually possible, either naturally or via In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).

She said it was important that couples who were trying to conceive should get both tested .

“Don’t get tested alone. Go with your partner to get checked too” she advised women to prevent delays in conception.

From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Tema.