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Finishing University, starting a career, meeting a partner, falling in love, starting a family and living a happy live. That’s how the life plan looks like in movies and many people would agree on that. But what if the “totally normal” procedure of starting a family and conceiving a baby does not work? An increasing number of couples suffer from this problem, called Infertility.
What is infertility?
Infertility is a disease or condition of the reproductive system often diagnosed after a couple has had 12 months or more of unprotected, well-timed sexual intercourse.
What is the difference between sterility and infertility?
Sterility is the inability of an individual or a couple to get pregnant, whereas infertility means a couple, having managed to get pregnant is unable to carry the pregnancy to term and produce a healthy baby.
Who is affected?
Women and men have the same probability of being affected by infertility. In approximately 60% of the cases this is the case. In all other cases it is either a problem of both partners or the cause of infertility cannot be explained.
What are signs and symptoms of infertility?
Often infertility comes without any signs or symptoms for the person concerned to notice that he is affected. Not until it comes to difficulties in getting pregnant, people might feel that all is well. The earlier the detection and treatment of infertility takes place, the higher the chance of a successful pregnancy in the aftermath. Therefore, listening to your body and doing regular check-ups are recommended.
Smoking can lead to Infertility
What are the risk factors that stimulate infertility?
- Overweight
- Venereal diseases
- Tubal diseases
- Endometriosis
- Smoking
- Alcohol / Drugs
- Higher Age
How can you find out when you are ovulating?
Ovulation, or a woman´s fertile period, occurs around halfway through each cycle, on roughly the fourteenth day in a supposed 28-day cycle. It has been proven that 24 hours after ovulation there is a rise in base body temperature of between 0.4 and 0.6 degrees. This is the signal on which the control method is based, marking the days on which ovulation occurs.
How often should a couple have sex in order to achieve pregnancy?
Once the egg has left the ovary it survives approximately 48 hours and it is only during this time that it can be fertilised by spermatozoa. Spermatozoa maintain their capacity for fertilisation for a maximum of 72 hours. The probability of a spontaneous pregnancy after one year of trying decreases dramatically, even with carefully scheduling of sexual relations.
How is infertility treated?
Thanks to the progress in medical technology there are a variety of possibilities and treatments to couples who trying to get pregnant. Some of these treatments and therapies are:
- Hormonal treatment
- Ovulation induction
- Intrauterine insemination
- In Vitro fertilization
- Egg/Sperm donation and embryo donation
- ICSI (obtaining sperm from a testicular biopsy)
Which one fits best, is depending on the individual situation. In any case a professional analysis by a specialist is indispensable.
Know this problem? Share your experiences with others in our Discussion Forum.
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by Jens Behrensen
German fitness addict sharing my experience and trying to bring a healthier lifestyle to people. View all articles by Jens Behrensen.
