What is Infertility for Couples?

By Karol Cardinson

Infertility refers to the inability of a person to contribute to the process of conceiving a child. It may also be a reference to a woman who is unable to carry pregnancy to the last stage. There are various causes that result in infertility and there is medical help available. Women who are fertile experience regular menstrual cycles and have a period of ovulation prior to and after the menstrual cycles. Women who are infertile do not have regular or no menstrual cycles and variations in their ovulation period. A couple is said to be infertile if they are unable to conceive even after a year of successful intercourse without any protection.

Couples that have never been able to get pregnant are considered to have primary infertility and couples that have experienced a successful pregnancy but are no longer able to become pregnant is considered to have secondary infertility. Throughout the world one out of every seven couples have problems with infertility. As women get older the chance of becoming pregnant will decrease. The number of Americans that experience infertility is close to six million. The percentage of women having infertility problems in a couple is about fifty percent. The percentage of men that have infertility problems in a couple is about forty percent. Some of the most common problems with infertility are age, problems ovulating, blockage, uterian problems, tubal ligation, and TB.

Couples are usually asked to get a medical examination done if they are not able to achieve pregnancy even after a year of unprotected intercourse. A doctor specializing in the field of infertility conducts tests for both the partners and then determines the problems and reasons for infertility. Both the partners are also interviewed and questioned about their sexual life and the intercourse procedure. If the doctor is unable to determine an exact cause, more tests are performed. Tests of body temperature, ovulation period, x rays of fallopian tubes and uterus and laparoscopy are usually done for women. For men, the semen count and analysis is given more importance.

85-90% of all infertility cases are treated using the conventional methods which include drug therapy and surgery. Other complicated surgeries such as IVF are done for the remaining couples. It is said that among all the couples that visit a doctor for treatment, 20% of them conceive without any medical help. This might be due to stress and anxiety that a couple experiences regarding the inability to conceive before consulting a doctor. Fifty percent of statistics on infertile couples conceive within two years of the treatment. It is reported that several factors can increase the chances of infertility, such as smoking, drinking, drugs, environmental hazards, medications and surgeries, treatment for cancer, health conditions and problems such as mumps, hormone imbalances and kidney problems.

There are different treatments for both men and women for infertility. There are several options for medicine today, but you should always consult a specialist first before you do anything to try to become pregnant. One of the options is a fertility kit that is available for couples who are dealing with infertility. - 30525

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