Why can’t I get pregnant? It’s a very difficult time in a woman’s life, when she faces the awful truth that having a baby isn’t her choice, but her body’s. Being reproductively challenged may affect the rest of your life, so it’s very important that you consider all your opportunities.
The best thing to do is talking to a specialist. It is said that many couples have fertility problems – 30 percent of cases are due to problems in the woman, 30 percent to problems in the man, and the rest to unexplained causes or multiple factors involving both partners.
What are the common causes for infertility and what kind of treatments are we talking about here?
Ovulation problems
If your period is absent or infrequent, or if it’s abnormally light or heavy your mature egg will not be released from your ovaries. It is said that about 70 to 90 percent of couples ovulate with treatment, and of those, 20 to 60 percent get pregnant.
Poor egg quality
Declined significantly with age, it’s possible that your eggs are not good enough. They can be damaged or have chromosomal abnormalities, and the solution for this might be in vitro fertilization.
Endometriosis
Sometimes without symptoms, this is a condition that occurs when tissue found in the uterine lining (called endometrial tissue) grows outside your uterus, usually in the abdominal-pelvic cavity. Possible solutions for endometriosis are fertility drugs, artificial insemination, assisted reproductive technologies (ART), or adoption.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome
If you have irregular periods, excessive hair growth, acne, and obesity, you need to pay a visit to a doctor; it might be a sign of a polycystic ovary. It is characterized by hormone imbalances and unpredictable ovulation patterns. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a condition in which small follicles in your ovaries don’t develop into larger, mature follicles. It’s treatable with diet and exercise, fertility drugs and in vitro fertilization.
Blocked fallopian tubes
Asymptomatic, this condition is treatable only surgery to open the tubes, or in vitro fertilization (IVF) if surgery fails or the tubes are too badly damaged to repair. Leading causes include pelvic inflammatory disease, sexually transmitted infections such as Chlamydia, and previous sterilization surgery.
Sperm allergy
Less than 2 percent of women have an immune reaction to the sperm or their body produces antibodies that kill the sperm cells. Possible solutions for this are treatable artificial insemination or assisted reproductive technologies (ART).
Unexplained/combination fertility issues
It is possible there’s no clear explanation for your infertility (all the tests are normal). As a possible solution, your GP might recommend fertility drugs combined with artificial insemination or assisted reproductive technologies (ART) procedures such as in vitro fertilization.
