Around 1 in 7 couples may have difficulty conceiving. Getting help Some people get pregnant quickly, but for others it can take longer. There are 2 types of infertility: primary infertility — where someone who's never conceived a child in the past has difficulty conceiving secondary infertility — where someone has had 1 or more pregnancies in the past, but is having difficulty conceiving again Read more about how infertility is diagnosed.
Treating infertility Fertility treatments include: medical treatment for lack of regular ovulation surgical procedures such as treatment for endometriosis, repair of the fallopian tubes, or removal of scarring adhesions within the womb or abdominal cavity assisted conception such as intrauterine insemination IUI or IVF The treatment offered will depend on what's causing the fertility problems and what's available from your local clinical commissioning group CCG.
Some treatments for infertility, such as IVF, can cause complications. For example: multiple pregnancy — if more than 1 embryo is placed in the womb as part of IVF treatment there's an increased chance of having twins; this may not seem like a bad thing, but it significantly increases the risk of complications for you and your babies ectopic pregnancy — the risk of having an ectopic pregnancy is slightly increased if you have IVF Read more about how infertility is treated.
What causes infertility? Common causes of infertility include: lack of regular ovulation the monthly release of an egg poor quality semen blocked or damaged fallopian tubes endometriosis — where tissue that behaves like the lining of the womb the endometrium is found outside the womb Risk factors There are also several factors that can affect fertility.
Sporadic menstrual cycles can be caused by conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS , hormonal imbalances or obesity. Ovulation can also be impacted by excessive exercise, stress or low body weight. Male factor infertility can be due to a number of reasons including trauma, medical conditions like diabetes and unhealthy habits such as heavy drinking and smoking.
But whether or not that impacts fertility is up for debate. Men produce sperm throughout their lives, but women are born with a set number of eggs that decreases as you age. And the rate at which women lose eggs accelerates around the age of The quality of eggs stored in the ovaries also declines over time. The longer eggs are stuck in the mid-division stage, the more likely that process will go wrong — creating eggs with the wrong number of chromosomes.
That results in not becoming pregnant, experiencing miscarriages or having babies with genetic syndromes due to chromosomal abnormalities. The bottom line: The quality and number of eggs a woman has decreases throughout her lifetime and egg loss accelerates around the age of 37, which makes it more difficult to become pregnant. This multipart assessment includes:. If you or your partner have a known medical condition that affects the uterus, fallopian tubes, sperm or ovulation, talk to your doctor to see if you should be evaluated sooner.
Our fertility specialists will work with you to identify the unique causes of your infertility and help you realize your dream of parenthood. PCOS is one possible cause of anovulation. Other possible causes include being over or underweight , primary ovarian insufficiency , a thyroid dysfunction, hyperprolactinemia, and excessive exercise.
Most women who are experiencing ovulation problems have irregular periods. However, regular menstrual cycles don't guarantee that ovulation is occurring. If you have irregular cycles , talk to your doctor, even if you haven't been trying for a year yet. Women may carry the baby, but it takes two to tango. Another thing you need to know: male infertility rarely has symptoms that are observable without a semen analysis , which is a test that measures the health of the semen and sperm.
When you do see the doctor, make sure you are both tested. For women after age 35 , and for men after age 40 , it can take longer to get pregnant. Some women assume if they still get regular periods their fertility is fine, but this isn't true.
Age impacts egg quality as well as quantity. Also, if your partner is five or more years older than you are, this can further increase your risk of fertility problems after age In case you don't know, the fallopian tubes are the pathway between your ovaries and the uterus. The fallopian tubes do not directly attach to the ovaries. Sperm must swim up from the cervix , through the uterus, and into the fallopian tubes.
When an egg is released from the ovaries, hair-like projections from the fallopian tube draw the egg inside. Conception takes place inside the fallopian tube, where the sperm and egg finally meet. If anything prevents the fallopian tubes from working properly, or if scarring blocks the sperm or egg from meeting, you won't be able to get pregnant.
There are many possible causes of blocked fallopian tubes. While some women with blocked tubes experience pelvic pain, many others have no symptoms. Only fertility testing can determine if your tubes are open. An HSG is a specialized X-ray used to determine if your fallopian tubes are open. Endometriosis is when endometrium-like tissue which is the tissue that lines the uterus grows in places outside of the uterus.
The most common symptoms of endometriosis include painful periods and pelvic pain at times besides menstruation. However, not all women with endometriosis have these symptoms.
Some women who discover they have endometriosis as part of an infertility work-up. Endometriosis is commonly misdiagnosed or simply just missed. Endometriosis can't be diagnosed with a blood test or ultrasound. It requires diagnostic laparoscopic surgery. Because of this, proper diagnosis takes an average of 4. Underlying medical conditions can lead to infertility in both men and women.
For example, a thyroid imbalance or undiagnosed diabetes can lead to infertility. While it's not well understood, depression is associated with infertility. Some autoimmune diseases, like lupus and undiagnosed sexually-transmitted diseases, can cause infertility.
There are prescribed medications that may impact fertility. But never stop taking a medication without talking to your doctor first. Make sure both your doctor and your partner's doctor know you're trying to get pregnant. Also, an undiagnosed sexually transmitted illness can cause infertility. You may not have any symptoms of the disease. Some doctors say this is a lack of good diagnosis. They say there is no such thing as unexplained infertility but only undiscovered or undiagnosed problems.
The fact remains, though, that some couples don't get answers.
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