By Veena Babulal

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Marrying late in the case of women and tight pants for men have been blamed for causing infertility. Other reasons include smoking, casual sex and junk food, according to Pantai Hospital fertility specialist Dr V. Jeyabalan.

"The changing role of women is the main reason for their infertility.

"They are getting married late now as they have to build a career alongside men to become equal breadwinners."

Jayabalan was commenting on a recent United Nations Children's Fund report that Malaysians were having fewer babies now compared with the situation in 1990.

He said career-oriented women were eating more junk food which mostly contained additives and meats that had been injected with hormones.

They also have multiple sex partners, sometimes indulging in casual sex which resulted in sexually transmitted diseases.

"Venereal diseases such as gonorrhoea and syphilis combined with previous abortions and smoking, which has gradually become increasingly common among women, can prevent conception and sometimes cause miscarriages."

He said of the 30 couples he saw on the average daily, most of the men and women were aged between 30 and 40 seeking to have their first child.

This reinforced Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai's statement on Saturday that 10 to 15 per cent of Malaysian couples in this age group had infertility problems.

Jeyabalan said in the case of men, wearing tight pants and workplace conditions, such as the presence of petrol fumes and chemicals, had contributed to their declining fertility.

He called on the government to get insurance companies to pay the bills of those seeking fertility treatment.

"In Western countries, because fertility treatments are expensive, the cost is either subsidised by the government or it can be claimed against a patient's medical policy.

"But in Malaysia, those who suffer from childlessness can do neither." -NST