An infertile couple is a couple that has been trying to conceive unsuccessfully for one year without the use of contraceptives. There are many things that cause infertility, and fortunately most of them are treatable with modern medical techniques.
About one third of infertility cases are due to female causes, about one third are due to male causes, and the remaining third are either due to both male and female causes, or unexplained causes.
A common cause of infertility in women is ovulation problems, when the ovaries do not release an egg each month. They can be caused by problems with the part of the brain or the glands that control ovulation. Ovulation problems are often treated with fertility drugs, usually clomiphene.
Cervical factors may also cause infertility in women. The cervical mucus may not be the right consistency, may not contain the right nutrients, or may even contain antisperm antibodies. This is generally treated by intrauterine insemination (IUI).
Blocked fallopian tubes are the cause of infertility in 40% of women. If one or both of a woman’s fallopian tubes are blocked, then the egg is unable to reach the uterus, and the sperm cannot reach the egg to fertilize it. Blocked tubes may be caused by an STD or other uterine infection, a ruptured appendix, or prior surgery. Blocked tubes may be treated by surgery to try and unblock them, or a couple may undergo in vitro fertilization.
Weight problems are another potential cause of infertility in women. Whether a woman is overweight or underweight, a woman’s chance of pregnancy is lowered. While being overweight or underweight is often the cause of infertility, it is also possible that the cause of infertility and the cause of the weight problem may be the same thing. It has not been proven that losing weight will increase the chances of pregnancy. However, entering pregnancy at a healthier weight can reduce the risk of complications, like gestational diabetes.
The leading cause of infertility in men is low sperm count. Low sperm count can be caused by a variety of factors, including stress, testicular overheating (from hot tubs, tight underwear, or high fever), substance abuse, smoking, malnutrition, obesity, bicycling, exposure to heavy metals or genetic factors. Many of these are treatable and can also be the cause of abnormal sperm morphology or low sperm motility, also common causes of male infertility. Treatment for male infertility can range from fertility drugs to correcting the condition that is thought to cause it.
Age is also a cause of infertility in both men and women. While it may seem that infertility rates are on the rise, this may be due to the fact that many people today wait until they are older to have children. The rates of infertility rise in both men and women after the age of thirty.
These are just some of the more common of the many possible causes of infertility. Couples that have been trying to conceive can take heart in the fact that many of these are treatable, and chances of conception can rise greatly when the conditions that cause infertility are removed.
