Top Reasons For Infertility

It’s the dream of most people to become proud parents at some point in their lives but many are sadly disappointed when they find out that this is not going to be the case because either they or their partner is infertile.  News like this often comes as a shock and leaves a feeling of great disappointment for all concerned. 

It’s commonly believed that infertility is a ‘woman’s problem’ but these days the male of the relationship is responsible for infertility in around about 33% of cases.

Infertility, for those who are not quite sure about the subject, is defined as an ability to get pregnant after trying for twelve months as far as females are concerned and an inability to impregnate a female over the same period of time for a man.

Although in both males and females the reasons for infertility are numerous, as far as the male goes they tend to be centred on the production of sperm.  Quite often there is little or no sperm actually produced and even in some cases where sperm quantity is as it should be there is a problem due to the shape or inability of the sperm to reach the egg and fertilize it. This is not always something that comes up in adult manhood – some males are actually born with a sperm defect. 

A man’s general wellbeing and lifestyle play a big part in the production of healthy sperm and there are many factors that can increase the reasons for infertility.  These include the use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco as well as some types of medication, radiation and chemo treatment not to mention the everyday toxins we take into our bodies such as pesticides and lead. In later life some illnesses can cause infertility, such as cystic fibrosis, for example.

In women the reasons for infertility are generally associated with ovulation.  When ovulation does not occur there are quite simply no eggs to fertilize.  One of the main signs of a cessation of ovulation is irregular menstrual periods or no periods at all and this can be caused by all manner of factors such as age, diet, smoking, stress, and sexually transmitted disease as well as many other hormone changing health issues.  

A woman’s age comes at the top of that list due to the fact that as a female gets older her chances of having a child are significantly reduced.  This can be put down to the deteriorating condition of her ovaries in making the eggs and the quality of the eggs which do get produced.  As she gets older, the female is much more likely to have a baby with birth defects if the pregnancy doesn’t end in miscarriage during the early months.

The road that has to be travelled to find out the reasons for infertility is long, hard and full of emotion.  That’s why you should pay a visit to your doctor and undergo the necessary tests to find out the exact reasons why you are unable to conceive and see if there is anything that can be done about it. 

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 Symptoms And Signs Of Infertility