What is infertility?

Difficulty in getting pregnant in-spite of regular unprotected sex. Did you know, 1 in 7 couples do not conceive within a year of trying. And more than half would conceive over the next year!

abc-of-infertility-treatments
ABC of Infertility and Treatments Freepik

How Pregnancy Occurs?

An egg from a woman has to combine with a sperm from a man. An ovum is released from the ovary on ovulation between 12 to 16 th day of the cycle if menses are regular. The ovum travels down the fallopian tube while sperms travel up from the vagina past the cervix, the uterus and into the tubes. Here one sperm combines with (fertilizes) the ovum to make an embryo, which travels down into the uterus and attaches to the lining of the uterus, growing into a baby.

What Cause Problems in Fertility?

Female Factors:

  1. Failure to ovulate.
  1. Various causes of ovulation problems are:
    • Early Menopause
    • Polycystic ovary syndrome – cause excess hair growth, acne , menstrual problems and obesity.
    • Hormone problems – too much prolactin, too little thyroid.
  1. Tubes: Infection & scarring or previous surgery. This may block the egg from traveling down the tube.
  1. Uterus: infection, scarring previous surgery may disturb lining of the cavity.
  1. Endometriosis: Lining of the uterus is seen outside the uterus . It is trapped in pelvis affecting surrounding structures causing abdominal pain and painful periods.

Male factors:

  1. Men born with testes that do not make any sperms, very few or defective sperms.
  1. Some have absent vas deferens.
  1. Some make less sperms than normal d/t:
    • Hormonal problems.
    • Tumours.
    • Excess heat.
  1. Environmental factors : chemical exposure, xray or heavy metals.

How to go About the Problem?

Couples are advised to seek medical help if they are unable to achieve pregnancy after a year of unprotected intercourse. It is best for both partners to see a doctor. The doctor may go over your general health, discuss past illness, examine both partners. Talk about difficulty with sex.

For Infertility Tests, Doctors May Advise:

  1. Semen analysis (sperm tests)
  1. Blood tests for the lady to check her hormones.
  1. Ultrasound of the lady.

Sex and Fertility:

It may be very difficult to try & time your sex with expected ovulation. This may lead to anxiety & stress. Sperms survive for about 2 days, so even though egg lives for 12 – 24 hours, having sex 2 to 3 times a week should be fine. The more relaxed and spontaneous your sex life is, the more likely you will conceive.

What are the options to treat Infertility ?

  • Medicines to improve fertility.
  • Surgical interventions to tackle fallopian tube problems, endometriosis, pcod, uterine adhesions, tumours.
  • Assisted conception: IUI , IVF, GIFT, ICSI
  • IUI: Processed sperm are passed into the uterus through the cervix with a plastic tube.
  • IVF: Fertilisation outside the body.

To know more, consult your doctor.

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