The first sign of infertility is the failure for a couple to conceive after a full year of trying. The reasons for this are many, and one of them is aging.
And two reasons that aging reduces a woman’s fertility are diminished health of her eggs and a reduced ability of the ovaries to release them. They also have a higher risk for miscarriage and other health problems that affect their fertility.
In her twenties is when a woman’s fertility is highest with a steadily increasing difficulty in conceiving into her thirties – as her ovaries stop making eggs at the rate they once did. The risk of miscarriage generally doesn’t become an issue until she reaches at least thirty-six. Drinking and smoking increases the level of infertility in all women. Today, aging is the most common fertility problem as women are choosing to have their first child at 35 or older.
Infertility is categorized as Primary or Secondary: Primary is when a woman can’t get pregnant after a year of trying and Secondary Infertility is when she can’t after a year of trying – but she had already become pregnant in some year past.
Infertility runs at a fifty-fifty ratio between males and females, according to some experts. Others say that females have sixty percent of infertility issues. Statistically, ten percent of couples who are trying to conceive will have trouble, and four out of five will succeed within one year. A normal amount of time to conceive is up to two years.
Often, couples must each submit to thorough physical examinations to determine their fertility factors. There is a general misunderstanding by many couples that it’s only the female who could possibly have the fertility issue. Males, however, account for a large percentage, which is why it’s important that they get a medical exam as well.
In order to get a base for comparison, the first tests normally done by a doctor are for the female’s levels of Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). The tests for these two hormones are normally done on a woman’s first visit to her specialist as well as her third. Since FSH and LH are both critical to male fertility (they are important to sperm health and production), these tests can be done on the male, at the discretion of the fertility specialist.
Some of the other tests routinely done (female) include ultrasound tests, a cervical mucus test, and additional hormone testing. A post-intercourse test that’s not done as much today, the cervical mucus test looks for active sperm from a sampling of the vaginal mucus. Two to eight hours following intercourse, the female is examined by the fertility specialist. Sometimes a bacterial test is done at the same time.
Ultrasound testing can be done as part of your initial consultation with a reproductive endocrinologist. Ultrasound testing is done to get an overall picture of the health of all the female reproductive organs. Ultrasound imaging is also done to see if an egg has been released from ovulation.
Reproductive Endocrinologists can test for many other important hormones, other than just the luteinizing hormone and the follicle stimulating hormone. The primary ones are: androstenedione, DHEAS, total testosterone, progesterone, estradiol, prolactin, free T3, and free testosterone.
Treatments for infertility can be expensive and not covered by insurance, and it depends on what needs to be treated, and how far a couple is willing to go with treatment. A relatively common cause of infertility in women is PCOS or (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), which is treated with a drug called metformin in combination with clomiphene.
Problems ovulating can be treated with the drug clomiphene. The next thing on the list of ever-increasing extreme treatments for infertility is hormone therapy. This is more extreme because besides bad side effects, it often results in multiple-baby pregnancies.
There are other infertility treatments, but one of the most intense and expensive is IVF, or in vitro fertilization. If you decide to go this route, you should know that acupuncture (by professionals trained specifically in acupuncture fertility therapy) has proven to increase the success rate of IVF pregnancies. Be aware, however, that IVF also increases the chance of multiple births: 1 in 3 IVF couples will be parents of twins.
Janet has been writing helpful articles on fertility and pregnancy for years. Discover more about the signs of infertility and ways to monitor fertility with innovative solutions such as the Clear blue Fertility Monitor and other methods on the website.