REASONS FOR INFERTILITY

 

 Image Credit:  www.health.com/infertility

 

Hello Friends, today I have come up with my new Blog on the subject of "Reasons For Infertility".  Some of you might think that it is a strange topic to write a blog on.  Yes it is, I am writing this blog because me and my wife are also going through this phase of treatment for infertility.  We have been visiting different  Gynecologists and Obstetricians in different countries for the last 2 years and now sometimes we share a laughter that we ourselves have become half Gynecologists and Obstetricians.  May God give us a sweet gift of baby soon.  I can understand the feelings of many couples out there who are trying hard for baby and are going through this long and patience testing treatment for infertility.   Today in this blog I shall discuss different reasons behind infertility in both men and women.  I shall also highlight some measures which can be taken to avoid severity of this problem.  It is pertinent to mention here that I am not a Doctor, here I shall discuss some general causes of infertility.  Therefore, for an expert advice, one must contact and consult with proper Gynecologists and Obstetricians for treatment of infertility.

 

 Video Credit:   ARC Fertility Channel  via youtube

 

The uses of terms "Fertility" and "Infertility" are as old as modern science.  Since antient times, there was no concept of Fertility and Infertility and subsequent treatment.  If there was a woman who after marriage could not reproduce children she was either treated with natural herbs or was left alone as non-reproductive.  With the advancement of science and technology, now there are many ways to treat infertility and even in complicated cases, there is an accurate treatment or other options like "Intrauterine Insemination" also called "IUI" and "Surrogation" depending upon the overall condition of woman.  Let's take a little deeper look into the difference of Fertility and Infertility and discuss treatments. 

 

1.       Difference Between Fertility And Infertility

 

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• When a young couple get married or when a couple decides to start their family and after trying for quite a few months there is no positive pregnancy result then there is a sense of irritation as to why the pregnancy is not occurring.  This may be the case of "Infertility" and can be described as the inability to produce offspring by normal means of sexual process.  Baby is gift from God to a couple and it is a sign of love and innocence as everybody loves kids.  So, as far as infertility is concerned, both men and women can be infertile but in this modern era, generally women are more prone or in other words affected by this problem of infertility.  Infertility can cause anxiety and frustration which further aggravates the problem of infertility.  Therefore, "Patience" is the key and generally the couple should live in a good mood to maximize the chances of getting pregnant.  For instance, going for sightseeing of mystique places only, can refresh the body and mood and can help getting pregnant.  
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• Let's discuss first the woman sexual function in terms of Fertility.  In a woman from the age of about 13 to 42 there is a monthly cycle which is called "Menstrual Cycle" that starts from the first date of bleeding called "Periods" (which is of the duration of 5-8 days) and completes its circle in about 28 to 30 days on the average.  Its duration may increase or decrease depending upon the age of woman.  So, in a normal menstrual cycle every woman releases an "Egg" of about 19 mm to 22mm size on its 14th day of periods which is known as "Ovulation".  This egg is released from one of the "Ovaries" where plenty of eggs are in process of "Maturation" also called Oocyte Maturation.  Only one matured egg is released but more than one can also be released in some women especially if some medication is being taken to tackle with infertility.  So, this one egg starts its journey from the ovary, it travels through "Fallopian Tubes" and reaches "Uterus".   During or just before this journey if woman had sex with her male partner and male sperms are present in the woman in fallopian tubes then they both meet and when they reach uterus in the end in about 5 to 7 days, they stick here in the uterus as an "Embryo" where it develops and after nine months it comes out as a baby if nothing goes wrong.

 

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•   Life Of Male Sperm And Female Egg

• The life of a female egg after ovulation is about 12 to 24 hours or even less depending upon the overall health of woman whereas life of man's "Sperms" is about 1 to 5 days, also depending upon the man's overall health and the cervical fluids also known as "Cervical Mucus" present inside the female reproductive system.  
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Image Credit:  www.pixabay.com

 

• Determination Of Baby's Gender

• The Male Sperms contains "Chromosomes" which is actually a DNA and it has two types which are known as "X Chromosome" and "Y Chromosome" and the one meeting first with the female egg determines the sex of baby.  IF X Chromosome meets first then it's a baby boy and if Y Chromosome meets the egg first then it's a baby girl.  The life of X Chromosome is less than Y Chromosome but it's a faster swimmer.  Therefore, if male and female partners time their sexual activity just before or on the day of ovulation then there is a high chance of pregnancy with baby boy.  Since Y Chromosome are stronger, therefore, sexual activity within 3-6 days prior ovulation has higher chance of pregnancy with a baby girl.

 2.       Fertility / Infertility In Men

 

The problem of infertility in men is not so common.  In normal men, their "Reproductive System" works just fine like having penis erection and enough amount of active sperms.  The "Testicles" generate sperms which are routed towards female reproductive system via penis.  The Epididymis stores the sperms produced in testicles and it also matures the sperms inside man's body.   Vas deferens are the tubes which carry the sperms towards their final destination during sexual activity.  The "Prostate" is an important part of male reproductive system and it generates additional fluid in the ejaculation which helps in the end to swim through in female reproductive system.  Abnormal function in male may include less active sperms which is called lack of "Sperm Motility" or "Erectile Dysfunctions" in which a male is unable or having difficulty in penis erection which subsequently leads to male infertility.

 

3.       Causes Of Infertility In Women

 

Image Credit:   www.parentsindia.com

 

• In female reproductive system, most common problems behind their infertility is "Polycystic Ovary Syndrome" also known as PCOS.  In this disease no egg is released or egg of low quality and size is released which is not sufficient for pregnancy to occur even if it meets with the active male sperm.  In PCOS, egg can get mature but it remains inside the ovary which itself is not good for female reproductive system.  Therefore, to solve this PCOS problem either women are put on contraceptives (if they do not want to get pregnant) or they are given medications like "Clomid" tablets and "Gonadotropin" injections for follicular growth and subsequent egg release if they are willing to get pregnant.  The main causes of PCOS is low fiber diet, weight gain, stress and extra hair growth and acne on woman's body which is normally a result of extra male hormone in the body. 
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Image Credit:   uniquehealthcareforwomen.com

 

• Hormonal imbalance in woman is another problem which woman face when fighting with the infertility problem.  Most women fighting with infertility have the issue of lacking an important hormone which is "Follicle-Stimulating Hormone" also called FSH which plays a vital role in release of egg.  If FSH level is down in woman's body, then injections are administered to woman to balance and raise this hormone which helps in proper ovulation.  Another important hormone which plays a primary role in infertility is called "Luteinizing Hormone" which is released by "Pituitary Gland" (which is a master gland in the body and controls all hormones) and is also required for release of egg.  This hormone is more common in men than women and if in women this hormone is high then it is a sign of infertility problem.  
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• Other causes for female infertility are damage / scars in fallopian tubes which keep the egg from moving further and thus, stopping pregnancy.  Apart from this, "Fibroids" which are known to be non-cancerous tumor are also a cause of infertility.  The bigger the fibroid, the bigger the problem.  
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 Video Credit:   MonkeySee   via   www.youtube.com

 

 4.       How To Improve Fertility

 

A Healthy life style both in men and women is mandatory to prevent infertility.  Bad habits like smoking, drinking alcohol and too much intake of less fiber diets such as fast food are the main causes of infertility.  Weight also plays an important role in fighting infertility.  Women in particular must control their weight and do "Regular Exercise" even just brisk walk on regular basis can do wonders.  Caffeine intake should also be controlled in both men and women.  Healthy diet is a must in order to fight infertility.  With the help of a Doctor or Dietician, a proper "Diet Plan" should be made and followed.  It is better to have a regular medical checkup to avoid any serious medical condition.  Age factor is also very important in infertility because women in particular with high age are more prone to infertility than men.

 

Image Credit:   fightyourinfertility.com 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for Reading.

This Blog Was Written by Refaquat Noman, a Resident of Saudi Arabia and a Traveler.

DISCLAIMER: The contents of Blog above are that of the author and does not represent his company or agency.  The sites, videos, and photos used in this Blog are for information purposes only and links are available for direct access. The author does not receive any monetary benefit from those companies or sites.