Women who are fertile experience a natural period of fertility before and during ovulation, and they are naturally infertile during the rest of the menstrual cycle. Fertility awareness methods are used to discern when these changes occur by tracking changes in cervical mucus or basal body temperature. If a woman keeps having miscarriages, it is also called infertility. Lots of couples have infertility problems. About a third of the time, infertility can be traced to the woman. In another third of cases, it is because of the man. The rest of the time, it is because of both partners or no cause is found. Women who can get pregnant but are unable to stay pregnant may also be infertile.
Pregnancy is the result of a process that has many steps. To get pregnant:
A woman’s body must release an egg from one of her ovaries (ovulation).
The egg must go through a fallopian tube toward the uterus (womb).
A man's sperm must join with (fertilize) the egg along the way.
The fertilized egg must attach to the inside of the uterus (implantation).
Infertility can happen if there are problems with any of these steps.
There are strict definitions of infertility used by many doctors. However, there are also similar terms, e.g. subfertility for a more benign condition and fecundity for the natural improbability to conceive. Infertility in a couple can be due to either the woman or the man, not necessarily both.
Infertlity
A couple is considered to be infertile if:
the couple has not conceived after 12 months of contraceptive-free intercourse if the female is under the age of 34
the couple has not conceived after 6 months of contraceptive-free intercourse if the female is over the age of 35 (declining egg quality of females over the age of 35 account for the age-based discrepancy as when to seek medical intervention)
the female is incapable of carrying a pregnancy to term.
Subfertility
A couple that has tried unsuccessfully to have a child for a year or more is said to be subfertile meaning less fertile than a typical couple. The couple's fecundability rate is approximately 3-5%. Many of its causes are the same as those of infertility. Such causes could be endometriosis, or polycystic ovarian syndrome.
Primary vs. secondary infertility
Couples with primary infertility have never been able to conceive, while, on the other hand, secondary infertility is difficulty conceiving after already having conceived (and either carried the pregnancy to term, or had a miscarriage). Technically, secondary infertility is not present if there has been a change of partners.
CAUSES
What causes infertility?Infertility may be due to problems in the female, the male or a combination of both. In some cases, the cause is not known.Some common female factors that may cause or contribute to infertility include:
Damage to the fallopian tubes following infection or surgery;
- Uterine fibroids;
High levels of the hormone prolactin;
Ovulation problems;
Endometriosis;
Pelvic inflammatory disease;
Galactorhoea (milk leaking from the bosoms).
Amennorhoea (absence of periods).
Sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia;
The production of sperm antibodies (when a woman develops antibodies to her partner’s sperm).
Others are
Male associated infertility
Age-related factors
Uterine problems
Previous tubal ligation
Previous vasectomy
Unexplained infertility
Tuberculosis (TB)
Recent research suggests that psychological issues, such as anxiety resulting from a lack of emotional support, can lead to hormonal problems that affect a woman’s fertility.
Male infertility is often caused by a low sperm count or an anatomical abnormality, such as a palpable dilation of veins in the scrotal area known as varicocoele. Other contributing factors can be attributed to how the sperm move (motility), or an abnormal sperm type. A few reasons for low sperm count include prolonged fever or a recent severe illness, excessive alcohol consumption, endocrine disorders, testicular injury and exposure to toxins, radiation or high heat.