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What is infertility ?
Infertility is the term given to describe a couple
that has never been able to conceive a pregnancy, usually after a minimum of 1 year of attempting to do so
through unprotected intercourse.
Many couples wrongly believe that it is easy to
conceive and don’t understand that pregnancy is normally a matter
of chance.
Even if the egg and sperm are in the right place at the right time there is no guarantee that
pregnancy will occur. Some couples will conceive immediately and for
others it can take months. Failure to conceive could just be a case
of bad timing, e.g. not having sexual intercourse
when the women is ovulating .
It has been estimated there are approximately one
in six couples in the U.K. that have fertility problems. Usually 40-50% of problems lie with
the female, 30-40% with the male, the remaining 10-30% may be caused
by contributing factors from both partners or the cause may never be
known. In some situations the high fertility of one partner can compensate
for the low fertility of the other. Very few couples are actually totally
infertile, but instead sub-fertile - taking more than a year to conceive.
Female infertility
One of the most important factors that effects female
fertility is age. Female fertility slowly begins to decrease around
the age of 25, then after the age of 35 fertility will usually begin
to decrease relatively quickly until the women reaches menopause.
Many women become obsessed and sometimes ill with the desire to conceive.
Surprisingly it is when they become more relaxed about the situation
(and give up hope), conception usually occurs.
Other causes of female infertility include:
- Problems with ovulation - the first stage of pregnancy is when the egg is released in
ovulation. If the hormones that control ovulation become unbalanced
then the system may not work as it should. Severe weight loss, illness
and emotional problems can all affect ovulation. If you have irregular
or few periods this could indicate a problem with ovulation.
- Damaged fallopian tubes - once the egg has been
released, it must travel through the fallopian tubes. Problems will
arise if there is a blockage or scarring in the fallopian tube. This
damage may be caused by a sexually
transmitted disease that you may have had in the past or
are currently infected with. A lot of sexually transmitted diseases
show no symptoms.
- Mucus disorder - some women have antibodies in
their cervical mucus that can kill their partner’s sperm before
it is able to swim through to the womb (uterus).
- Endometriosis - a condition in which fragments of
the endometrium (womb lining) break away and lodge elsewhere in the body.
- Use of certain medication
- always check with your doctor before
taking any medication, many medicines can reduce your fertility and
potentially harm an unborn baby.
Fertilization may fail to occur for a variety of reasons not just those mentioned
above. However, the majority of problems can be overcome with medical
treatment which you doctor will be happy to discuss and explain.
We offer a female fertility test on this website for more
information or to buy click
here.
Male Infertility
The main causes of male infertility are:
- Production of sperm - problems can occur if the
man has very low sperm levels or if there is a physical obstruction
at some point in the male reproductive system.
- Impotence - the failure to
achieve and maintain an erection will prevent or make sexual intercourse difficult.
- Environmental factors - smoking,
drugs and alcohol consumption can damage sperm. Also if you work with certain chemicals,
lead or radiation for example your fertility could be damaged. If
you are unsure about the chemicals or substances that you work with,
ask your doctor or occupational health nurse for advice.
- Illness - illnesses
such as mumps can cause a low sperm count. Sexually transmitted diseases can also
effect the production of sperm.
- Frequency of sex - the frequency of ejaculation will affect the number of sperm contained in a man's ejaculate. A
man should abstain from ejaculation a few days before a woman's fertile
period to improve the quality and quantity of sperm.
Like female fertility problems, most male problems
can be overcome with medical treatment. After obtaining a medical history
and performing a physical examination, a doctor will request a semen analysis. From this sample he will be able to determine any abnormalities
and decide on further treatment. We have a male fertility test available on this website, which can determine male fertility potential from the privacy of your home, for more details click here.
What can you do to maximise fertility?
Your chances of conceiving can be affected by your
general health and lifestyle.
By stopping smoking you will increase your chances
of becoming pregnant and it will also decrease the risk of miscarriage and bleeding in pregnancy.
Alcohol consumption can cause a reduction in fertility
and therefore should be limited if not stopped.
A good balanced diet and exercise is also very important. A healthy diet should include plenty
of: brown bread, pasta, fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, white meat, rice
and low fat dairy products. However, ease up on intense exercise, men
who exercise excessively may reduce their sperm count.
Your general health is at risk if you suffer from
stress and anxiety.
In women, stress can prevent ovulation occurring and in men, it can
affect their sperm production and encourage premature ejaculation and
impotence.
An old theory is to have sex at midnight, ovulation is
more likely to happen around this hour.
Related topics
Deciding
to have a baby
Female
Ovulation Tests
Infertility
Treatments
Male
Fertility Test |
