Infertility can take a toll on
your life emotionally and may hamper your relationship with your spouse too. Approximately 85 % of couples will achieve pregnancy within one year of trying.
Infertility is defined when couples are unable to conceive a child, even though
they’ve had frequent, unprotected sexual intercourse for a year or longer. Up
to 15 per cent of couples are infertile. In over a third of these couples, male
infertility plays a role.
Here are a few common reasons in women
that lead to Infertility:
1) Advancing maternal age: Female
age-related infertility is the most common cause of infertility today. For
unknown reasons, as women age, egg numbers decrease at a rapid rate.
2) Ovulation disorders: Normal
and regular ovulation, or release of a mature egg, is essential for women to
conceive naturally. There are many disorders that may impact the ability for a
woman to ovulate normally.
3) Pelvic Inflammatory diseases Tubalocclusion (blockage): A history of sexually transmitted infections including
chlamydia, gonorrhea, or pelvic inflammatory disease can predispose a woman to
have blocked fallopian tubes. Tubal occlusion is a cause of infertility because
an ovulated egg is unable to be fertilized by sperm or to reach the endometrial
cavity.
4) Uterine fibroids: Fibroids are
very common (approximately 40% of women may have them) and the mere presence
alone does not necessarily cause infertility. The size and position of the
fibroid determine its effects on your pregnancy.
5) Endometrial polyps:
Endometrial polyps are finger-like growths in the uterine cavity arising from
the lining of the uterus, called the endometrium. They can decrease fertility
by up to 50% according to some studies.
6) Endometriosis: Endometriosis
is a condition whereby cells very similar to the ones lining the uterine
cavity, or endometrium, are found outside the uterine cavity. It is found in
approximately 10-50% of reproductive-aged women and can be associated with
infertility as well as pain during intercourse and/or menstrual periods.
Male infertility is due to
erectile dysfunction, low sperm production, abnormal sperm function or
blockages that prevent the delivery of sperm. Illnesses, injuries, hormonal imbalances, chronic health problems, lifestyle choices and other factors can
play a role in causing male infertility. The semen analysis is one of the main tests
to evaluate the male partner.
You must produce healthy sperms
and sufficient semen volume. There needs to be higher sperm concentration to
increase chances of conception. Sperm must have the motility to be able to move
for conception to happen. The sperm morphology or shape determines its ability
to fertilize the egg.
Risk factors linked to male
infertility include:
·
Using
alcohol.
·
Using
certain illicit drugs.
·
Being
overweight.
·
Being
severely depressed or stressed.
·
Having
certain past or present infections.
·
Being
exposed to toxins.
·
Overheating
the testicles.
·
Having
experienced trauma to the testicles. Having a prior vasectomy or major
abdominal or pelvic surgery. Having a history of undescended testicles.
1)
Fertility
drugs and hormones to help the woman ovulate or restore levels of hormones.
2)
Surgery
to remove tissue that is blocking fertility (such as endometriosis) or to open
blocked fallopian tubes.
3)
Assisted reproductive technology or ART treatments
used for male as well as female infertility problems:
A)
IUI (intrauterine
insemination):
Sperm is collected and the placed directly inside the woman’s uterus while she
is ovulating. IVF (in vitro fertilization): The sperm and egg are collected and
brought together in a lab. The fertilized egg grows for 3 to 5 days. Then the
embryo is placed in the woman’s uterus. GIFT (gamete intrafallopian transfer)
and ZIFT (zygote intrafallopian transfer): The sperm and egg are collected,
brought together in a lab, and quickly placed in a fallopian tube. With GIFT,
the sperm and eggs are placed into the fallopian tube. With ZIFT, a fertilized
egg is placed into the tube at 24 hours.
B)
Increasing egg production: Another standard fertility treatment is to do one to three
cycles of ovarian stimulation and intrauterine insemination. This
involves stimulating the ovaries to boost egg production by giving medicine
such as Clomid and then inserting a thin catheter into the uterine cavity to
place the sperm there. Use of gonadotrophins has been helpful
C)
Donor Eggs :Donor eggs are another option, especially for older women can also be an
option where egg production is less
D)
In
male causes of infertility alone intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) can be
injected in female egg for fertilization
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