Infertility – Not Just A Woman’s Problem

Introduction

Infertility is the reduced ability to conceive and give birth to offspring and is also defined as the failure to conceive after a year or more of regular intercourse without taking contraceptions. It might be due to a single cause in either you or your significant other, or a combination of reasons that may prevent pregnancy from occurring or continuing.

In women it may be signaled by irregular menstrual periods or associated with conditions that produce pain during menstruation or intercourse. In older females it may be due to a higher risk of chromosome abnormalities that happens in their eggs as they age. It is not just a woman’s concern and can happen in men from disorders of the testicles, or an abnormality affecting the hypothalamus or pituitary glands which produce hormones that control the testicles.

Causes

The most common causes of male infertility include abnormal sperm production or function, impaired delivery of sperm, conditions related to a man’s general health and lifestyle, and overexposure to certain environmental elements. When sperm concentration is less than five million per milliliter of semen, genetic causes could be the reason.

Unknown factors account for approximately 20% or more of the cases. 33% of the problems are related to men and the remaining one-third is made up of a combination of fertility factors between the couple or unknown causes. Other reasons for female infertility include blocked fallopian tubes, which can occur when a woman has had pelvic inflammatory disease or endometriosis. Many causes can not be determined or corrected.

Tests

Tests on males can be done by a urologist and include semen analysis where the specimen is collected after 2 to 3 days of complete abstinence to measure volume and viscosity of semen and sperm count, motility, swimming speed, and shape. These tests attempt to find out whether any of these processes are impaired. For women to be fertile, the ovaries must produce and release healthy eggs regularly, and her reproductive tract must allow the eggs and sperm to pass into her fallopian tubes for a possible union. Ultimately, these tests are designed to help determine whether the problem is with the man, the woman, or both. Before you have tests, speak with your partner about how much testing you want done. Sometimes you may not find out what causes infertility even after many tests, so it is important to know how many you want to have done.

Treatment

Without any therapy, 15 – 20% of couples previously diagnosed as infertile will eventually conceive. Therapy depends on the cause, the duration of the problem, the age of the partners and their specific wishes and may include assisted reproductive technologies (ART). This type of treatment may encompass the following: artificial insemination which involves the placement of relatively large numbers of healthy sperm either at the entrance of the cervix or into the female’s uterus, bypassing the cervix, to have direct entrance to the fallopian tubes. Other therapies include medication or behavioral approaches.

Specific treatment for infertility will be determined by your MD based on your age, overall health, and medical history, extent of the disorder, reason for the disorder, your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies, expectations for the course of the problem, your opinion or preference. Once a diagnosis is made, the MD can work with you to decide the course of treatment.

Conclusion

Infertility is defined as not being able to get pregnant inspite of having frequent, unprotected sex for at least one year. Specific tests are done to determine why a female cannot conceive. Tests can cost a lot and cause stress. Infertility can affect social relationships and sexual functioning. Causes include a broad range of physical as well as emotional factors. It is important for the couple to recognize and discuss the emotional impact that infertility has on them separately or together and to seek medical advice from their health care provider or MD.

Ricardo Henri is the owner of Natural Remedies,Treatments And Cures,a site concerning extensive information about caring for your own health concerningout relying on drugs and needless surgery. Subscribe to his monthly newsletter @ natural remedies cures