Find Out Your Main Infertility Cause, Treat It And Get Pregnant

What Is Infertility?

The definition of infertility is the inability to conceive after 12 months of having regular heterosexual intercourse without the use of birth control.

What Causes Infertility?

Infertility problems may have emotional and physical effects on you and your partner.  You want to find out your primary infertility cause so that you can do something about it.  You have been trying for more than 12 months with disappointment.  Every time you watch a family with small children, you wish you could conceive and have your own children.

Your main infertility cause may be one or a combination of many factors.  These infertility factors may be attributable to the woman, the man or both.

Women Infertility Causes

Some common women infertility causes are ovulation disorders (no ovulation or irregular ovulation), tubal disorders (blocked or infected fallopian tubes), uterine issues (fibroids, polyps or adhesions).

Ovulation Disorders
Ovulation disorders such as hormonal imbalance, irregular menstrual cycle, abnormal ovulation or no ovulation can be the result of your unhealthy lifestyle.  Do you smoke, drink alcohol or take illegal drugs?  If you do, stop those activities if you are considering pregnancy.  Being overweight or underweight, vigorous exercise and unhealthy diet also contribute to ovulation disorders.

Certain prescribed medications have detrimental effect on your fertility.  Discuss with your doctor about your pregnancy plan and medications.

Your age can also have an effect on your fertility.  Women over the age of 35 have less eggs and ovulate less regularly.

In most cases, use of contraception does not affect your future pregnancy but some women may experience difficulty in getting pregnant after they stop taking birth control pills.

Are you exposed to toxic substances, high temperatures or radiation?  These occupational hazards can be the cause of your infertility.  Stress can affect your menstrual cycle if you do not manage it well.

Chronic diseases like lupus, diabetes, thyroid disease and rheumatoid arthritis can affect your ovulation function and reduce your fertility.

Medical conditions such as pituitary gland tumors, adrenal gland problems and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can result in hormonal imbalance, irregular or no ovulation and thus infertility.

Tubal Disorders
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), a condition that is often caused by sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as chylamdia and gonorrhea, can cause blockage of fallopian tubes.  Women with pelvic inflammatory disease have a higher chance of ectopic pregnancy, a pregnancy that usually grows in the fallopian tubes and result in fallopian tubes rapture and miscarriage.

Endometriosis, growth of endometrial tissue in the pelvic area, can cause scarring and adhesions resulting in fallopian tubes blockage and sometimes etopic pregnancy.

Uterine Issues
Asherman’s Syndome, a condition with formation of adhesions and scar tissue within the uterine cavity, may block the fallopian tubes.  Even if the tubes are not blocked, the scarred and collapsed uterus makes it difficult for implantation.

Uterine fibroids, uterine polyps and sepate uterus are some of the uterine problems that can cause miscarriage.

Male Infertility Causes

Common male infertility causes are low sperm count, decreased sperm motility, abnormally shaped sperm and no sperm at all when ejaculate.

Some studies have shown that age may play a part in male infertility.  In the studies, men over 45 had double the number of abnormal sperm found in men aged 30.  You can’t change your age but you can maintain a healthy lifestyle to make sure that your sperm is healthy.

Some lifestyle such as smoking, alcohol, unhealthy diet, overweight and use of illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin and ecstasy can affect your fertility.

Prescribed medications such as anabolic steroids, antibiotics tetracycline, nitrofurantoin, the antiulcer medication cimetidine, the anticolitis medication Salazopyrin and antigout medication allopurinol can also diminish your fertility.  Men who take beta-blockers to treat high blood pressure can become impotent.

Environmental and occupational factors like exposure to toxic substances, high temperatures and emotional stress may interfere with the quantity and quality of your sperm and may sometimes result in impotence.

Some diseases may cause male infertility.  Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as chlamydia may cause low sperm count making pregnancy difficult.  Varicocele, a collection of dilated veins within the scrotum, increases the temperature in the testicles leading to decreased sperm production and motility.

Many medical conditions such as diabetes, heart attack, hypertension, thyroid diseases, leukemia, liver cirrhosis and renal failure may cause erection and ejaculation problems.  Cancer treatment with chemotherapy or radiation reduces sperm production.

Obstruction of the vas deferens or epididymis which transports the sperm may result in zero sperm count.  Men who have cystic fibrosis may have missing or obstructed vas deferens.

Some men who had vasectomy reversal surgery may developed antibodies against their own sperm and remain infertile.

Unexplained Infertility

For some couples, the infertility cause cannot be identified.  Many couples eventually conceive without any treatment.  For some, doctors may recommend a treatment of clomid, gonadotropin, or both to stimulate egg follicle production.  If not successful after a period of treatment, various assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) may be performed.

Discuss with your doctor.  Both you and your partner may have to go through infertility test to find out your infertility cause.  With advanced medical technology, you have many choices and options.  There is a great chance that you can become parents very soon.

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