Infertility means that you haven’t been able to conceive after a year of trying. If you’re a woman over the age of 35, it means you haven’t been able to conceive after 6 months of trying.
Women who can conceive but are unable to carry a pregnancy to term may be diagnosed with infertility.
Primary infertility is diagnosed when a woman has never been able to conceive. Secondary infertility is diagnosed in women who have had at least one successful pregnancy in the past.
Infertility isn’t just a female issue. Men can be infertile as well. In fact, men and women are equally prone to infertility issues.
Causes of Female infertility
Female infertility can be caused by a number of factors that affect or interfere with the biological processes listed below:
- ovulation, when the mature egg is released from the ovary
- fertilization, which occurs when sperm meets the egg in the fallopian tube after traveling through the cervix and uterus
- implantation, which occurs when a fertilized egg attaches to the lining of the uterus where it can then grow and develop into a baby
Risk factors of female infertility
Risk factors for female infertility include:
- increasing age
- smoking cigarettes
- heavy use of alcohol
- being overweight, underweight or obese
- having sexually transmitted infections
Medical conditions of infertility in women
A variety of medical conditions can affect the female reproductive system and cause infertility in women.
Examples include:
- scarring from a previous surgery
- premature ovarian failure
- uterine fibroids
- endometriosis
- pelvic inflammatory disease(PID)
- hormonal imbalance
Medications and drugs
Certain medications and drugs that can affect female infertility include:
- long-term use of high-dosage nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDS)
- antipsychotic medications
- recreational drugs such as marijuana and cocaine
- chemotherapy or radiation therapy
Causes of male infertility
In general, male infertility is associated with the following issues:
- movement of the sperm, which includes both the wiggling motion of the sperm themselves and the transport of the sperm through the tubes of the male reproductive system
- effective sperm production
- sperm count,
- shape of the sperm
A number of risk factors, medical conditions, and medications can all have an impact on fertility.
Risk factors of infertility in Men
Risk factors associated with infertility in men include, but aren’t limited to:
- overweight or obese
- smoking cigarettes
- advanced age
- heavy use of alcohol
- exposure to toxins, such as pesticides, herbicides, and heavy metals
Medical conditions of male infertility
Male infertility can be influenced by a lot of medical conditions, such as:
- retrograde ejaculation
- varicocele, or the swelling of the veins around the testicles
- undescended testis
- having antibodies that attack your sperm and destroy them
- hormonal imbalance such as low testosterones production
Women infertility Treatment
After the age of 30, a woman’s fertility begins to decline. Women under the age of 35 should see a doctor after a year of trying to conceive, while women over the age of 35 should see a doctor after 6 months of trying.
Your doctor will begin by taking a medical history. They’ll inquire about your present health, sexual history, and any disorders or illnesses that may be contributing to infertility.
They will then examine your pelvic region for abnormalities such as fibroids or disorders such as endometriosis or PID.
Your doctor will want to know if you ovulate each month. This can be discovered with an at-home ovulation testing kit or by blood testing at a doctor’s office.
The ovaries and uterus can also be examined using an ultrasound.
Other common tests for women include:
- hysterosalpingography, which is a type of X-ray used to evaluate the fallopian tubes and uterus
- laparoscopy, which uses a camera to examine the internal organs
- ovarian reserve testing, which uses a combination of hormone tests to determine a woman’s potential for conceiving — relevant tests include the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) test
Infertility Treatment
If you and your partner have been trying to conceive but have been unsuccessful, you may wish to seek treatment. The sort of treatment advised can be influenced by a number of factors, including:
- the cause of infertility, if known
- how long you’ve been trying to conceive
- your ages
- the overall health of both you and your partner
- the personal preferences of you and your partner, following consultation about your treatment options
infertility treatment in women
Depending on the cause, male infertility can be treated in a variety of methods. Surgery, medicine, and assisted reproductive technology are among treatment options for males (ART).
Challenges that inhibit sperm from being present in the ejaculate can be removed surgically. It can also be used to treat disorders such as varicocele. In certain situations, sperm can be collected directly from the testicles and utilized in ART procedures.
Hormonal abnormalities, for example, can be treated with medications. They can also be used to treat other diseases that might have an impact on male fertility, such as ED or infections that reduce sperm count.
ART refers to procedures that include the handling of eggs and sperm outside of the body. In vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection are examples of therapies. Sperm for ART therapies can be obtained via ejaculate, testicular extraction, or a donor.
infertility treatment in women
Female infertility therapy may also include surgery, medication, and reproductive support such as ART. Several sorts of therapy may be required to address female infertility.
Although surgery can occasionally be used to treat female infertility, it is becoming less common as alternative reproductive therapies improve. Fertility can be improved by surgery by:
- removing fibroids
- unblocking fallopian tubes
- correcting an abnormally shaped uterus
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) and assisted reproductive technology (ART) are two types of reproductive aid. Millions of sperm are injected into a woman’s uterus at the time of ovulation during IUI.
IVF is one method of ART that includes the removal of eggs, which are subsequently fertilized in a laboratory with a man’s sperm. The embryo is returned to the uterus after fertilization.
The drugs used to treat female infertility act similarly to hormones found naturally in the body, encouraging or regulating ovulation.
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