What Women Need To Know About Infertility?

Thinking of starting a family? Well, it’s time for you to explore the truth about your fertility and reproductive health. Over the course of past few decades, it has been reported that a lot of women are delaying the pregnancy due to career choices, availability of reliable contraceptive methods and other personal or professional goals. Nonetheless, it is also no surprise that fertility decreases with advancing age. Here are some simple signs that you must keep in mind to gauge your fertility.

Silent Signs Of Impaired Fertility

There are certain factors that determine your overall reproductive health; such as:

• History of uterine growth or masses such as fibroids, tumors etc.
• History of poorly managed or chronic sexually transmitted infections or pelvic inflammatory disorders
• Endometriosis
• Your body weight and fat to muscle ratio

It is noteworthy that all these factors can interfere with the mobility of sperms in the female genital tract. For example, long standing inflammation in the pelvic organs can lead to fibrosis or blockage of tubes, which can directly affect the sperm motion. Likewise, diseases that affect uterine cavity such as endometriosis or large fibroids can interfere with the implantation of zygote.

A very common yet overlooked silent symptom of infertility in women is abnormal body weight. This include too little weight (or BMI under 19kg/m2) or obesity (body mass index higher than 35 kg/m2). Abnormal body weight can interfere with healthy pregnancy in a number of ways; most important of which is hormonal imbalance.

Infertility Is Treatable

If you and your partner are not getting pregnant despite unprotected and periodic sexual intercourse; it may suggest primary or secondary infertility; however, it is imperative to mention that either partner may be responsible. According to latest estimates, more than 12% of all the couples in US encounter some difficulty in getting pregnant despite 12 months of healthy sexual activity. However, only 7.3% couples are infertile and needs help with assisted reproductive techniques. It is also noteworthy that of all 7.3% couples;

• 1/3^rd of all the infertility cases are attributed to female partner
• 1/3^rd of all infertility cases are due to a male sexual disorder
• In about 1/3^rd cases, both partners are infertile

Secondary infertility is when a couple experience difficulty in getting pregnant after one successful conception. Surprisingly, the prevalence of secondary infertility is fairly high and it is estimated that 1 in 6 women experience difficulty in getting after a previous successful conception. Although this situation could be stressful, yet be assured that the chances of future pregnancy in secondary infertility are better than primary infertility.

Bottom line is, if you are looking to get pregnant, it is very important to consult a registered healthcare professional to learn more about your overall health and how you can prepare your body for an upcoming pregnancy. If you or your partner are suffering from primary, untreatable form of infertility, there are so many assisted reproductive techniques that can fulfill your dream of a happy family.

References

• van Oostrum, N., De Sutter, P., Meys, J., & Verstraelen, H. (2013). Risks associated with bacterial vaginosis in infertility patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Human reproduction, 28(7), 1809-1815.
• Suzuki, N., Yoshioka, N., Takae, S., Sugishita, Y., Tamura, M., Hashimoto, S., ... & Kawamura, K. (2015). Successful fertility preservation following ovarian tissue vitrification in patients with primary ovarian insufficiency. Human Reproduction, 30(3), 608-615.