My former wife, a nurse, and I found that the greatest joy in life is to become a parent and share your life with children. Unfortunately for us, like some couples, becoming pregnant was difficult. Fertility means being able to have children. Sometimes couples want children but can’t get pregnant. This is called “infertility.”
Infertility is defined by the inability to biologically conceive after a year of regular intercourse or carry a pregnancy to full term. We tried for several years and after six pregnancies we were able to produce two boys. It was difficult but we finally ended up with success. Four pregnancies ended in natural abortion and/or still birth. They were disappointing but we overcame.
Some of infertility problems lie with the woman and the rest with the man. There are many different causes of infertility but more than 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. These causes can be from job stress, financial problems, or other psychological problems.
For a woman to become pregnant, her body needs to menstruate properly. A very common cause of infertility is due to ovulation problems. Ovulation is when the woman’s egg drops to a place in her body where the sperm can reach it. This is the time when a woman can get pregnant. Women can also have tubal blockage, uterine problems and previous tubal ligation which can cause a woman to be infertile.
It is harder to get pregnant for women who are age 30 or older. A woman’s chance of getting pregnant takes a big drop around age 40. You may not want to wait a whole year to see a doctor if you are over 30. You may want to get tested sooner. A woman’s fertility and their ability to conceive naturally decrease 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 Pelvic 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 (PCOS) 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 glands can lead to infertility as well.
What affects a man’s sperm? Men need to get enough rest and eat healthy food to make enough sperm. Men who are under a lot of stress might not make healthy sperm. Alcohol and drugs can also hurt a man’s sperm. Marijuana (pot), cigarettes, and some medicines can affect sperm. Chemicals, like lead or bug killer can affect a man’s sperm. Men who want to have a child should not wear tight underwear. They should not use hot tubs or saunas. All of these things may lessen the number of healthy sperm.
While there are several medical reasons which cause infertility, the couple also has to look at their lifestyle for causes of 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. 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 eliminate stress. Stress creates many physical problems.
My wife and I went to medical specialists and they labeled us to have unexplained infertility. We both were young and were in good health. Sperm count was adequate and her menstrual cycle was perfectly normal. The way we were able to conceive was to take two long vacations. Nine months later we had our first child. After the second vacation we had our second child nine months later. After we reviewed the pregnancies we were able to summaries that we need to get away from every day activity and relax and enjoy each other.
So you can do it too. Get away by yourselves and relax.
Dr Tom is a retired Computer Science Professor. He owned a web server and sold it in 2003. Now he is back as an affiliate marketer and is creating free information products from his experiences. He has expertise in a variety of health and Wellness subjects.
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