Infertility - Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.

Infertility - absence during 1 year or more of pregnancy in a woman who regularly lives sexually and does not use contraceptives. A woman with repeated miscarriages is also diagnosed with infertility.

Pregnancy is the result of a complex chain of events. In order to become pregnant:

• A woman must release a mature egg from one of her ovaries( ovulation).
• The egg should pass through the uterine tube towards the uterus.
• Male spermatozoa must unite with the egg on this path( fertilization).
• The fertilized ovum must attach to the inner surface of the uterus( implantation).

Infertility can be the result of problems that interfere with any of these steps.

distinguishes absolute infertility of when the body has irreversible pathological changes that prevent conception( absence of uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, testicles in men) and relative , in which causes of infertility can be eliminated.

In addition, distinguishes between primary infertility,

when a woman who has a sex life never had a pregnancy, and secondary , when conception does not occur, although in the past there were pregnancies.

The frequency of infertile marriages is 10-15%.In 60% of cases, the cause of infertility is a violation in the body of a woman, 40% in the body of a man( inferiority of sperm, ejaculation disorders, impotence), but female infertility is much easier to treat than male.

The most frequent cause infertility of women is anatomical and functional changes in the genital organs: infantilism;inflammatory diseases of the fallopian tubes, ovaries, uterus, cervix, vagina;disorders of the ovaries and pituitary gland, adrenals, thyroid gland;tumors of the uterus( myoma);endometriosis, ovarian tumors;traumatic damage to the cervix during labor and abortion, etc. An important cause of secondary infertility are abortions.

Is infertility a common problem or is it only a woman's problem?

No, infertility is not always a woman's problem. Only about one third of cases of infertility is associated with a woman( female factor).In another one-third of cases, infertility is associated with a male( male factor).The remaining cases are due to a combination of male and female factors or unknown factors.

What causes infertility in men?

Infertility in men is most often caused by:
• problems with the amount of sperm - when too little semen is produced or sperm is not produced at all
• problems with the ability of sperm to move and fertilize the egg - abnormal spermatozoon shape or structure does not allow them to move properly.

Sometimes a person is born with problems that affect his sperm. Other problems can begin later due to illness or injury. For example, cystic fibrosis is often the cause of acquired infertility in men.

What increases the risk of infertility in men?

The amount and quality of human sperm can be affected by his overall health, nutrition and lifestyle. Some things that can reduce the amount and / or quality of the sperm:
• alcohol
• drugs
• environmental toxins including pesticides and lead
• cigarette smoking
• health problems
• medicines
• effects of radiation treatment and cancer chemotherapy
• age

What causes infertility in women?

Ovulation problems account for the majority of infertility cases in women. Without ovulation, there is no egg that can be fertilized. Some signs that a woman does not have ovulation, usually include irregular menstruation or lack of menstruation.

Less common causes of female infertility:
• obstruction of fallopian tubes due to inflammatory diseases of pelvic organs, endometriosis, or surgeries of ectopic pregnancy
• physical problems with uterus
• hysteromyoma

What increases the risk of female infertility?

Much can affect a woman's ability to have a child:
• age
• stress
• poor nutrition
• sport overload
• overweight or underweight
• smoking
• alcohol
• sexually transmitted diseases( STD)
• problemswith health that cause hormonal changes

What age influences a woman's ability to have children?

More and more women give birth after 30 years. About 20 percent of women in the United States now give birth to their first child after 35 years of age. At the age of 35, childbearing becomes more and more difficult. About one third of couples in which a woman is over 35 years of age have problems with the birth of a child.

Aging reduces women's chances of having a baby; the reasons for this are:
• The ability of a woman's ovaries to mature eggs ready for fertilization decreases with age.
• Egg health of a woman decreases with age.
• As a woman ages, a woman develops health problems that can hinder her pregnancy.
• The risk of miscarriage increases with age.

How long can a woman try to get pregnant before contacting a doctor?

Most healthy women under the age of 30 should not worry about infertility if they have tried to become pregnant for at least a year. At the end of a year of attempts, both a woman and a man should consult a gynecologist and andrologist for advice.

In some cases, a woman should consult a doctor before. Women at the age of about 30 who have already tried to get pregnant within six months should talk to the doctor as soon as possible. The chances of a woman's birth of a healthy child are decreasing every year after the age of 30.

For some health problems, a woman should see a doctor as soon as possible :
• irregular menstruation or not menstruation
• very painful menstruation
• endometriosis
• pelvic inflammatory disease
• more than one miscarriage

No matter how much youyears, you can always talk to your doctor before you start trying to get pregnant. Doctors can help you prepare your body for the birth of a healthy child, answer questions and give advice on conception.

What awaits you when you see a doctor about infertility ?What are the diagnostic methods for infertility and possible options for treatment of ?