Infertility Information
The greatest joy in life is to become a parent and share your life with a child. Unfortunately for some people becoming pregnant is difficult. Infertility is defined by the inability to biologically conceive after a year of regular intercourse or carry a pregnancy to full term.
The majority of infertility problems lie with the woman. There are many different causes of infertility but more then half of the cases of infertility are a result of female conditions. The rest of the cases are due to sperm disorders in the man or even unexplained causes. In order for a woman to become pregnant, her body needs to menstruate properly. A very common cause of infertility is due to ovulation problems. Women can also have tubal blockage, uterine problems and previous tubal ligation which can cause a woman to be infertile.
A woman’s age has a major role in how fertile they are. The ability to conceive naturally decreases over time as part of the normal aging process. Women lose about 1000 eggs each month. Plus, conditions like PCOS, endometriosis or certain sexually transmitted diseases worsen over time and can eventually lead to infertility.
Another major cause of infertility is Pelcic Inflammatory Disease (PID). PID is an extremely serious pelvic inflammation that is caused by leaving vaginal or cervical infections untreated like chlamydia or gonorrhea. Scarring which can block fallopian tubes occurs when bacteria makes it way up through the uterus and into the fallopian tubes, ovaries and surrounding tissues. However, after treatment for PID, pregnancy is often accomplished through IVF.
One of the leading causes of infertility is polycystic ovarian syndrome which is a hormonal disorder. PCOS disrupts the woman’s normal ovulation cycle. An inability to ovulate or ovulating irregularly is the cause of infertility in women with PCOS. Although, PCOS is treatable through medications like Metformin which reduces symptoms associated with PCOS by helping the body’s ability to absorb insulin therefore correcting hormone levels.
Hormone levels should also be checked if a couple is having a hard time conceiving. Hormones are produced by the hypothalamus, pancreas, ovaries, testes and the pituitary, adrenal and thyroid glands. Diseases that affect any of these things can lead to infertility as well.
While there are several medical reasons which cause infertility, the couple also has to look at their lifestyle for causes of infertility. Things like smoking, consuming too much alcohol or illegal substance, weight issues, sexually transmitted diseases or even too much stress or exercise are all factors which cause infertility.
Trying to conceive can be a very stressful thing for a couple if it does not happen right away. Doctors are unable to diagnose any specific infertility problems within the woman or the man. They are labeled as unexplained infertility. Most of the time, the couple just needs to lighten the pressure and get a better understanding of when the woman is ovulating in order to make their dreams of a family come true. The most important thing to remember is to get rid of the stress.
