If you have problems conceiving, you are not alone; about one in seven couples have difficulties in the process of reproduction.Infertility is often thought of as a female concern, but indeed some of the cases are traceable to the men, occasioned by factors,
such as low sperm count. Infertility has become a major worry for most family, especially women as many have lost their marriages and even their dignity. Information gathered has it that Eleven percent of reproductive-age couples in the United States have trouble conceiving or sustaining a pregnancy. About one-third of these cases are due to female fertility problems, one-third to male fertility problems, and the rest to factors involving both partners or to unexplained causes.The most difficult of all infertility problems are unexplainable infertility.
If you’ve had regular, unprotected sex for more than a year without conceiving (or six months if you’re older than 35), it is important you see a doctor. About 65 percent of couples that get treatment for fertility problem are eventually able to have a successful pregnancy.
To become pregnant, each of these factors is essential:
You need to ovulate. Achieving pregnancy requires that your ovaries produce and release an egg, a process known as ovulation.
Your partner needs sperm. For most couples, this isn’t a problem unless your partner has a history of illness or surgery. Your doctor can run some simple tests to evaluate the state of your partner’s sperm.
You need to have regular sexual intercourse during your fertile time. Your doctor can help you better understand when you’re most fertile during your cycle.
You need to have open fallopian tubes and a normal uterus. The egg and sperm meet in the fallopian tubes, and the pregnancy needs a healthy place to grow.
For pregnancy to occur, every part of the complex human reproduction process has to take place just right. The steps in this process of getting pregnant are as follows:One of the two ovaries releases a mature egg, The egg is picked up by the Fallopian tube, Sperm swim up the cervix, through the uterus and into the fallopian tube to reach the egg for fertilization, The fertilized egg travels down the fallopian tube to the uterus,The fertilized egg implants and grows in the uterus.
In women, a number of factors can disrupt this process at any step. Female infertility is caused by one or more of these factors: Damage to the fallopian tubes, ovulatory problems, endometriosis, conditions affecting the uterus or no identifiable reason.Other factors that may play a part include: age – female fertility declines sharply after the age of 35, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), gynaecological problems such as previous ectopic pregnancy or having had more than one miscarriage, medical conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, and thyroid and bowel diseases, lifestyle factors such as stress, being overweight or underweight, and smoking.
OVULATION PROBLEMS
Ovulation problem occurs when eggs don’t mature in the ovaries or when the ovaries fail to release a mature egg. Ovulation problems are common in women with infertility.
Possible symptoms: Absent or infrequent periods, unusually light or heavy menstrual bleeding, or lack of such premenstrual symptoms as bloating or breast tenderness.
Possible solutions: Managing body weight if it’s too low or too high, taking fertility drugs (with or without artificial insemination), and having in vitro fertilization (IVF).
ENDOMETRIOSIS
Endometriosis is a condition that occurs when tissue normally found in the lining of the uterus (endometrial tissue) grows outside the uterus, usually in the abdomen or pelvis.
Possible symptoms: Some women have no symptoms, while others have painful periods or intercourse, heavy bleeding or unusual spotting, and general pelvic pain.
Possible solutions: Surgery to remove endometrial tissue or open blocked fallopian tubes, fertility drugs (with or without artificial insemination), and IVF.
POOR EGG QUALITY
The quality and number of eggs the ovaries produce – naturally or with fertility treatment – declines significantly after age 35.
Possible symptoms: None.
Possible solutions: Fertility drugs, IVF using your own eggs, IVF with donor eggs or donor embryos.
POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a condition in which small follicles in the ovaries don’t develop into the larger, mature follicles that release eggs. It’s also characterized by hormone imbalances and unpredictable ovulation patterns.
Possible symptoms: irregular periods, excessive hair growth, acne, and obesity.
Possible solutions: Lifestyle modifications (like diet and exercise), clomiphene citrate, injected fertility drugs, ovarian drilling (a surgical procedure that can trigger ovulation), and IVF. In women with glucose intolerance, the diabetes drug metformin (Glucophage) can also help restore regular ovulation.
TUBAL FACTORS
Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes prevent sperm from getting to your egg and also prevent the fertilized egg from getting to your uterus. Leading causes of tube problems include pelvic inflammatory disease, sexually transmitted infections (such as chlamydia), and previous sterilization surgery.
Possible symptoms: None.
Possible solutions: Surgery to open the tubes. If surgery fails, or if the tubes are too damaged to repair, they may be removed before having IVF in order to improve your chances of pregnancy.
UNEXPLAINED FERTILITY PROBLEM
Your doctor may diagnose an unexplained fertility problem if there’s no obvious reason for your infertility (meaning all test results are normal).
Some experts believe subtle differences in the way the reproductive system works may cause this type of infertility. This can include differences in follicle development, sperm function, or the fertilization process.
Experts also theorize that lifestyle factors – such as being significantly underweight or overweight, regularly consuming too much caffeine or alcohol, and smoking – may be contributing factors as well.
Possible symptoms: None.
Possible solutions: Fertility drugs (with or without artificial insemination) or IVF.
Success rates: For couples with unexplained infertility, the pregnancy rate is between 9 and 26 percent per treatment cycle when fertility drugs are used in combination with artificial insemination.
With IVF, the live birth rate is about 30 percent per treatment cycle, but that figure varies depending on age.
SMOKING
Women who smoke are running a serious risk of infertility and early menopause, according to new research from America.
Doctors have long suspected a link between cigarettes and fertility problems, with studies from various countries revealing that women who smoke are almost 30 per cent less fertile than non-smokers, and three times more likely to take longer than a year to get pregnant. Smokers also routinely go through menopause two to three years earlier.They’ve discovered that toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke can prematurely trigger the genetic signals that cause a woman’s egg cells to die and her ovaries to shut down.
Normally these signals aren’t activated until a women reaches her mid-40s to early 50s, but that smoking could cause infertility in women in their late 30s – the age when growing numbers of women are looking to get pregnant for the first time. Because women are born with a finite number of egg cells, any that die prematurely cannot be replaced. And as a woman’s egg cell supply dwindles, she becomes less fertile.
Fertility problem has become a major factor in the women folk who in one way or the other trying hard to protect their marriage and also to avoid the stigmatization of being called a childless or barren woman but in all, religion has made us to believe that it is God that giveth all things and in its own time and this has served as a consolation for many women looking unto God for the fruit of the womb.
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