According to Dr Sunita Tandulwadkar, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Ruby Hall Clinic, these problems are mainly due to lifestyle changes, excessive intake of tobacco, alcohol and even junk food.

Earlier, there were instances of a 70-year-old being able to father a child. Experts like Tandulwadkar, however, feel it would be difficult to say the same about 50-year-old men today. And the culprit is the decreasing levels of male fertility.

Referring to common cases these days in the city, Tandulwadkar said there were recurring instances of software professionals who spend 12-14 hours in office.

Addiction to gutkha and stress at work has also led to a drastic difference in the sperm count levels. More and more couples are seeking advice related to infertility problems, agreed Dr Sanjay Gupte, president of the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Society of India (FOGSI).

On the one hand experts have point out that there are newer techniques to assist these couples and yet there are a set of ethical issues that need to be sorted out at the national level. Hence, an exclusive body of practising doctors in the field of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) will meet in Pune to deliberate on these issues at the 14th national congress on ART and advances in infertility management, from January 29 to February 1.

With increasing incidences of male infertility, a dedicated workshop addressing this issue has also been planned at the Ruby Hall Clinic. For the first time there will be a live demonstration of IMSI technique (Intra-cytoplasmic Morphologically Selected Sperm Injection) under high magnification and computer-enhanced techniques done to select morphologically the best sperm for fertilisation.