Infertility Can Have Many Causes

Answer 1

The official definition of infertility is the inability for the woman to become pregnant after one year of sex without birth control. Sometimes the definition changes to six months if the woman is over 35 years old. It is also considered infertility if the woman has multiple miscarriages.

Infertility is not just a woman’s problem. Studies have proven that only one-third of infertility cases is because of female factors, one-third is due to male factors, and the other one-third can be a combination of both female and male factors or something else entirely.

There are several factors that could cause infertility in women. These factors include ovulation problems. These problems are the most common causes for infertility. Absent or irregular menstrual periods are a sign of ovulation problems. Other factors include blocked fallopian tubes, endometriosis, uterus problems, uterine fibroids, ectopic pregnancy surgery, age, stress, athletic training, poor eating, being too heavy or too thin, smoking, alcohol or hormonal changes caused by health problems.

The infertility in men could be caused by problems producing sperm, the sperm’s inability to get to the egg to fertilize it, or any abnormal sperm structure or shape. There are also other factors that can affect a man’s infertility such as drugs, alcohol, health issues such as cystic fibrosis, medicines, smoking, pesticides or lead, cancer treatments or age. All of these factors can affect the quality and number of sperm that the man will produce.

It is a long and complicated process for a doctor to find out what is causing infertility in a sexually active couple. It also can be very emotional. It could take many months for all of the tests and exams to take place so the couple needs to have a lot of patience. The doctor will first need to know the couple’s health and sexual histories in addition to a complete physical exam.

If after all of the tests and exams are completed after many months, the doctor finds out that the couple cannot conceive, there are other ways that the couple can become pregnant. Surgery may be necessary, or artificial insemination or assisted reproductive technology can be used.