What are Infertility, Causes and Symptoms?

In general, infertility is defined as not being able to get pregnant (conceive)
after one year of unprotected sex. Women who do not have regular menstrual cycles, or are older than 35 years and have not conceived during a 6-month period of trying.

Infertility results from female factors about one-third of the time and malefactors about one-third of the time. The cause is either unknown or a combination of male and female factors in the remaining cases.

Causes for infertility

  

Infertility in women

Conditions affecting a woman’s fertility can include:

·                    Disease or defect in the fallopian tube (tubal infertility).

·                   Problem in   ovulatory

·                   Endometriosis

·                   Conditions affecting the uterus

·                   Combination of factors

·                   No identifiable reason.

Other factors that may play a part include:

·                   Age – female fertility declines sharply after the age of 35

·                   Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

·                   Gynecological problems such as previous ectopic pregnancy or having had more than one miscarriage

·                   Medical conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, and thyroid and bowel diseases

·                   Lifestyle factors such as stress, being overweight or underweight, and smoking.

Infertility in men

Conditions that may result in infertility include:

·       Low sperm count or quality

·       Problems with the tubes carrying sperm

·       Problems getting an erection

·       Problems ejaculating.

Other factors that may play a part in infertility include:

·                   Having had inflamed testes (orchitis)

·                   A past bacterial infection that caused scarring and blocked tubes within the epididymis as it joins the vas

·                   Having received medical treatment such as drug treatment, radiotherapy or surgery – for example, to correct a hernia, undescended testes or twisted testicles

·                   Genetic problems        

·                   Diabetes problems

·                   Lifestyle factors such as being overweight or having a job that involves contact with chemicals or radiation.