Infertility: Causes and Treatment

While the topic may seem daunting to youth, infertility is a real possibility for many women. Individuals will plan their lives around having children before finding out that it may be nearly impossible to do so. It’s therefore important to be aware of the issue and what can be done about it. 

What is infertility?

Infertility is defined as trying to get pregnant with frequent attempts in the past year with no success. About one third of infertility cases are due solely to the female, with another quarter due to problems in both partners. A menstrual cycle of an extreme length (typically defined as shorter than 21 days or longer than 35) can be a clear symptom. The older you are, the faster you should seek treatment if you are trying to have a baby. 

What can cause it?

Due to the complexity of the female reproductive system, small damages or missteps in the process can result in infertility. Below is a summarized list of the more common reasons:

Ovulation disorders: 

Misregulation of reproductive hormones from the hypothalamus or the pituitary gland can cause irregular menstruation. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hypothalamic dysfunction are examples of this. Primary ovarian insufficiency can also occur, which is when the ovaries begin lessening the amount of estrogen production early, making it more difficult to get pregnant. Many of these cases have some basis in genetic inheritance, so speaking to female family members ahead of time can help one understand the risks they face. 

Damage to fallopian tubes:

Blocked, ripped, or otherwise damaged fallopian tubes can keep sperm from reaching the egg or block the passage of the egg into the uterus, thus compromising any chance at a pregnancy. Pelvic inflammatory disease is one example, where the uterus is infected by chlamydia, gonorrhea, or other STIs, causing inflammation that makes it difficult for the embryo to implant itself. Sometimes even past surgeries can cause internal damage. These cases are typically not genetic, and they are usually more complicated to fix. 

General Health:

Keeping yourself in an overall state of health is equally important as internal complications. Substance abuse, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, and lack of exercise can all lead to trouble getting pregnant. Maintaining a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, sleeping enough – all of it is important to help your chances of getting pregnant and maintaining the pregnancy. 

What should I do?

If you believe you may be infertile, you should go speak to a medical professional. Since the causes for infertility range such a wide spectrum, there are many tests they may have you do, including thyroid gland tests and imaging of your reproductive system, depending on your circumstance. If you are in fact deemed infertile, your doctor will speak to you about your options. 

Treating infertility and trying to still conceive can be a costly and mentally difficult journey. Most treatments require multiple tries and still do not have a high success rate. Hormonal issues can usually be treated with various medicines to either increase or decrease a specific hormone in the body. Sometimes, this can interfere with another medication you are taking for a different cause, so be aware of the side effects. You may have to stop taking that other medication. If you are infertile due to internal damage, you may have to undergo surgery, such as fallopian tube surgery, which can have many complications. Internal scarring due to surgery can make it more difficult to get pregnant in the future or lead to ectopic pregnancies. If none of these treatments are suitable, you may also consider assisted conception methods: IUI, IVF, and donations. All of these methods involve some form of external work – such as bringing together sperm and egg cells outside of the body to then implant in a womb. While more expensive, these options tend to have a higher success rate and may be a safer option.

However, it’s important to understand that none of these methods are fool proof to any extent. Infertility is an ongoing field of research, and it will probably be a very long time before treatment methods are perfected. Adoption or foster care are both still great, healthy routes for parenthood.