Mumps is considered one of the common infections, mainly in childhood, but it is more concerning in boys. One of its main complications is male infertility, which is why the connection between mumps and fertility is always a feared topic.
Mumps is an infection that settles in the parotid glands located just below the ears, which causes significant swelling in the area. It is a contagious disease, transmitted to others through saliva droplets, sneezing, and coughing. Its main complication occurs when the infection spreads and settles in the testicle region, affecting fertility in 30% of cases in men who have already gone through puberty.
When the inflammation reaches the testicle area it is called orchitis, and there are large numbers of cases in which men become irreversibly infertile. When the testicles are affected, there is a 50% chance that the testicles will atrophy and the glands that produce sperm will be damaged, thus reducing sperm production or even stopping it altogether. That is why, if a man has had mumps in adolescence or adulthood and is having difficulty getting his partner pregnant, he should undergo fertility examinations and tests for evaluation. Women can also be affected, but the risks are much lower, almost nonexistent. Only 5% of mumps cases in women may cause damage to the ovaries and decrease fertility, but this possibility is almost zero.
What Is the Treatment for Mumps and How Can It Be Prevented?
Unfortunately, there is no treatment for mumps other than recovery and symptom management. Visiting a general practitioner or pediatrician is recommended to receive appropriate guidance and prescriptions for medications that will relieve the bothersome symptoms. The symptoms of mumps are stronger and more evident in the first few days, disappearing over the course of the first week and lasting, at most, up to two weeks. This is enough time for the person’s immune system to fully recover from the infection.
Care during this period is basic, like complete rest — children should not go to school, and adults should refrain from work and normal activities. Drink plenty of fluids and gargle with warm water and salt to ease the discomfort. Take any medications prescribed by the doctor and use warm water compresses to relieve the pain from swelling. Contact with others, especially those who have never had mumps, should be avoided to prevent transmission. As the swelling is considerable and uncomfortable, a person may have difficulty eating normally and chewing may become very bothersome. Therefore, the diet should be adapted to the moment and preference given to foods that are easy to eat such as mashed potatoes, soups, broths, and vegetable creams that do not require chewing. The symptoms will subside as the first week progresses and completely disappear in the second week.
If symptoms do not go away during this period, and if there is pain in the intimate area, high fever, vomiting, and severe headache, these are signs that mumps has worsened. Usually, the worsening happens because the patient did not follow the recommendations and treatment indicated by the doctor. As a complication, the patient can suffer from infertility, pancreatitis, meningitis, and even develop deafness. The best way of prevention is through the MMR vaccine, which is provided free of charge at all health centers, usually administered in childhood and offering lifelong immunity.
Specialists recommend that when mumps occurs in adulthood, after six months the man should see his doctor for a fertility test to check his sperm production rate. They also state that even with all due care and rest, an adult male patient is still at risk of the mumps reaching the testicles.
See Also: What Are the Symptoms of Mumps?
Photos: Tony Alter
