Did you know that infertility is common with about
one out of ten couples struggling to become pregnant within the first year of trying.
Today we're going to be answering seven frequently asked questions about infertility.
What is infertility?
We talk about infertility when a couple that should be capable of getting pregnant does not become pregnant after one year of trying to conceive by having unprotected
intercourse. Struggling with infertility does not mean the couple will never get pregnant, they just
may need some help or some more time. Infertility is a shared problem between the couple and may be
caused by factors relating to either partner or a combination of both.
How common is infertility?
Infertility is a common issue in the United States. About 7 to 15 percent of couples struggle to get pregnant within a year of trying.
Worldwide about 15% of couples deal with infertility because female fertility begins to decline after age 35.
It's a good idea to see a doctor after six months of trying to get pregnant if the female in the couple is 35 or older. Other reasons to see a
healthcare professional earlier are if either partner has a history of sexually transmitted
infections, if the couple has had three or more miscarriages, or if the male partner is having
trouble maintaining an erection. If either partner has a chronic medical condition or if the female
partner has no periods or irregular or painful periods you should see your health care provider.
What are the most common causes of infertility? Getting pregnant requires healthy uterus, sperm and
eggs. The egg also has to be able to travel through the fallopian tube from the ovary into the uterus.
The most common causes of infertility affecting females are: problems with ovulation, such as
polycystic ovarian syndrome, also known as PCOS, problems with the uterus, such as endometriosis,
and fallopian tube damage from previous untreated sexually transmitted infections. This is one of the
many reasons why getting tested regularly for sexually transmitted infections throughout your
lifetime is very important. In males about 4 out of 10 cases of infertility is caused by a varicocele,
which is an enlarged vein. In the testes that causes the sperm to overheat.
Repairing the varicocele with surgery may sometimes help with fertility.
Other common causes of male infertility are the amount, the shape, and the movement of the sperm,
problems with ejection of the sperm, or hormonal issues. In about a third of couples there's no
clear cause of infertility or both partners have factors that are contributing to infertility.
What aspects of fertility are in my control?
Remember if you're struggling with infertility, it does not mean that you aren't trying hard enough or doing the right things, many of the
causes of infertility are not your fault. However, if you want to optimize your chances of conceiving
here are some tips: being in overall better health may help you conceive, living a healthy lifestyle
with regular exercise -like half an hour of walking, or other exercise per day, eating lots of fruits
and vegetables are all good places to start. Heavy drinking of alcohol or smoking and chewing tobacco
all have a negative impact on the amount shape and movement of sperm. Other recreational drugs
like cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and cannabis may also decrease your chances of getting pregnant.
What will happen at the doctor's office? When you go to see your primary provider or gynecologist
to talk about infertility, they may do a physical exam and draw blood. This blood
work will look at your overall health and will specially assess for presence of hormone issues.
They may ask you to get blood drawn at a certain specific time during the menstrual cycle to see
whether or not you are ovulating. They may also perform an ultrasound to look at the uterus and
fallopian tubes. If you produce sperm your provider will also likely do a semen analysis looking at
the amount, the shape, and movement of your sperm. Depending on the results and your preferences your
primary doctor may then refer you to a specialist for fertility treatment.
What are my options?
Luckily there are many options for helping you get pregnant. Your health care provider will
advise you on the different options available to you based on your cause of infertility.
The three most commonly used options are ovulation induction, intrauterine insemination, and in vitro
fertilization. In ovulation induction a medication called clomid or letrozole are used to promote
release of one or more eggs from the ovary, also called ovulation, these medications are frequently
used and very safe. They can also increase your chance of having twins slightly.
These medications may be used alone or in combination with intrauterine insemination or iIUI. during IUI
semen is inserted directly into the uterus where it may more easily fertilize an egg. In vitro
fertilization or IVF is a longer process during which medications are given to promote ovulation,
then those eggs are removed from the body, mix with sperm in a lab,
and then the fertilized egg or embryo can either be frozen or reinserted into the uterus.
I also want to acknowledge that some of these options may be expensive, especially if they
are not covered by your insurance. Your fertility journey may be a difficult and
emotional process and it's completely normal to feel saddened or frustrated by it at times.
I encourage you to open up about these feelings with your loved ones and your health care provider.
They want to support you. If you think you may have infertility be sure to check in
with your health care provider. Good luck on your fertility journey and see you next time.