For some couples, starting a family is easy. According to the NHS, 84 percent of couples in which the female is under age 35 fall pregnant within one year of trying. For other couples the journey to having a baby can be longer and throw up a few more challenges. It is therefore useful to understand the facts behind fertility.
What is fertility?
Every month a young woman’s body produces hormones that cause her ovaries to release an egg. It is at this point (ovulation) that the woman is most fertile. According to doctors, a healthy sex life is the key to conception. While understanding the female fertility cycle can be helpful, becoming too focused on dates and times can lead to stress, which never results in a healthy sex life.
As the majority of couples fall pregnant within the first year of trying, there is little need to see the doctor until you actually fall pregnant. However, if you have been trying for a year or more with no success, it is best to schedule an appointment with the GP. Likewise, if the female partner is more than 35-years-old or has a medical history that includes an ectopic pregnancy or surgery that may have affected fertility, it is wise to see the doctor.
Infertility
Infertility becomes a concern when a woman is unable to become pregnant despite having regular unprotected sex — and of course the problem can be with the woman or the man, which is why tests are a first step. In the UK, one in seven couples encounters difficulties when trying to conceive. The likelihood of getting pregnant drops below 25 percent for couples who have been trying to conceive for more than three years without success.
In the female, there are two types of infertility. Primary infertility is when a woman who has never conceived experiences difficulty getting pregnant. Secondary infertility is when a woman who has had one or more pregnancies faces difficulty when trying to conceive again.
There are many causes of infertility in men and women, and it is not always possible to identify the reasons. For 25 percent of couples, infertility remains a mystery.
For women, lack of regular ovulation, blockage of fallopian tubes and endometriosis (a condition where tissue functioning like the lining of the womb is found on the outside of the womb) are among the most common causes. For men, poor semen quality can be responsible.
Treating infertility
Depending on the cause of your infertility, a range of treatments is available. The NHS offer fertility treatment across the UK, however, many people choose to undergo private treatment.
There are three main types of fertility treatment:
Medicines to assist fertility: If you are not ovulating regularly, you can take a course of medicine to assist fertility. For women who do not ovulate regularly, Clomifene or Tamoxifen may be taken to encourage ovulation. Alternatively, women suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome may be offered a course of Metformin.
Surgical procedures: If the female’s fallopian tubes have become blocked or scarred, surgery can be used to break up the scar tissue which makes it easier for eggs to pass through.
Assisted conception: Treatment includes intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). In IUI, sperm is placed into the womb through a fine plastic tube. In IVF, the woman takes fertility medication to encourage the production of more eggs. Eggs are then removed from the woman’s ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory. A fertilised egg is then placed back inside the woman’s body. The success rate of IVF is approximately 32 percent for women aged under 35.
Fertility advice
If you are considering having children in the future, it is useful to understand how lifestyle can affect fertility.
Age: Men and women are most fertile in their early 20s. Many people wait until they are older before having children, but it is worth noting that female fertility declines rapidly after the age of about 35.
Sexual health: Some sexually transmitted infections, including Chlamydia and gonorrhea, cause damage to a woman’s fallopian tubes.
Smoking: According to research, women who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day reach menopause two years earlier. Smoking also has a detrimental effect on a man’s sperm quality.
Alcohol: Avoid drinking too much alcohol if you are trying to get pregnant. For women, one or two units per week is the recommended amount. Men who consume more than four units of alcohol per day also risk damaging their sperm.
Weight: Being over or underweight can make conceiving more difficult.
The bottom line
When it comes to conceiving, the most important thing to remember is to relax and let nature perform its magic. Concentrating on an ovulation schedule or worrying about why you haven’t conceived will only cause stress. If you have any genuine concerns regarding your fertility, the best advice—as always—is to pay a visit to your GP who will be able to give advice more specific to your case.
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