highlights
AUGUST, 2018 | The HEALTH
Congress takes
on new direction
compared to before
Dr Raman
Subramaniam.
F
The role of
micronutrients
in male
infertility
THOUGHT to be an issue predominantly
caused by women, statistics had gone
on to show that infertility in males are
equally as serious an issue showcasing
a ratio of 50: 50 when compared to their
counterpart. Quality of life, food intake,
age and external substances are some
of the factors that is currently known to
contribute to the decline in the quality of
sperm in males.
Focusing on the role of micro
nutrition, invited faculty from Vienna,
Austria Professor of Gynaecology and
Obstetrics, Professor Martin Hans
Imhof said that this is an issue that is
present everywhere.
Quality of micronutrients according
to him, goes to the extent of influencing
the production of sperm.
“It is crucial that one considers the
type of food intake, especially sugar
as these plays an important role in the
building of sperm. With 80 percent of
men having an abnormal sperm count,
alcohol intake also influences the
possibility of male infertility. However,
small amounts poses no threat at all,” he
said.
Treatment in relation to micro
nutrition involves male hormone checks
and DNA fragmentation in order to
identify the exact problem.
Despite having an advantage when
it comes to reversing male infertility, he
advised men to do a fertility check after
the age of 30 as the loss can be more
dramatic with the progress of age.
ORMER president and current
scientific committee chairman,
Professor Dr Raman Subrama-
niam in an exclusive interview with
The HEALTH highlighted that the
congress attracted a mixed group of
medical professionals comprised of
paramedics, specialists, dieticians and
nutritionists.
Different compared to yesteryears,
he pointed out that it ran simultane-
ously with the president’s lecture
while covering major sub specialities
such as cancer, pregnancy, gynae-
urology and infertility.
In order to highlight issues related
to young girls, the congress invited
international speakers, the likes of
Professor Sonia Grover to talk about
menstrual disorders in adolescence
and Dr Claudio Catalisano from Italy
who further expanded on topics such
as aesthetic medicine in gynaecology.
Raman pointed out that the
number of topics were also expanded
while still adhering to the proposed
theme “Where Technology, Evidence
and Skills Meet.”
In addition, the conference offered
sessions with videos being shown on
how to operate with each speaker
presenting for 10 minutes. This was
done in order to provide concentrated
facts. One of the talks he believed
captured attention was the one on
injuries during natural birth.
The conference also housed a
challenge for medical students not
just from Malaysia but also teams
from Singapore. Requiring students
to tackle medical related questions,
the winner was awarded with cash
prize up to RM 1,000.
Newly-elected president of the
Obstetrics and Gynaecology Soci-
ety Malaysia (OGSM), Dr Eason
Sinthamoney envisioned for the
conference this year to take on a new
direction while still maintaining a
similar purpose. Wanting it to be
more international, Eason decided
that for the first time, the conference
showcase over 30 international and
local speakers.
Redefining
family lives
with in vitro
fertilisation
(IVF)
40 years since the birth of
the IVF baby, the once taboo
stricken idea is now widely
accepted by many all around
the world. With the advance-
ment of technology and time,
the process of producing IVF
babies has seen leaps and
bounds in terms of changes. The
process has since then moved
into healthcare, aiding not just
infertile couples but also fertile
pairs who face possibility of
passing on their genetic disorder
onto their babies.
“Now families can resort to
IVF and start an embryo that
does not have those diseases,
thus eradicating any diseases
from their family line. There
are many areas IVF has since
stepped into. It has redefined
family lives ever since”, said
United Kingdom CARE Fertility
founder Professor Simon Fishel.
Professor Simon Fishel discussing
on the future of IVF.
Micronutrients and
female infertility
Dr Eason Sinthamoney
highlighting the progress of IVF in
Malaysia.
Professor
Martin Hans
Imhof.
MICRONUTRIENTS play an
important role in females and the lack
thereof can cause infertility.
Speaking on the matter, invited
faculty from Vienna, Austria Profes-
sor of Gynaecology and Obstetrics,
Professor Martin Hans Imhof said the
quality of nutrition has seen a decline
over the years.
The current ratio is at