Infertility is the inability to conceive after a period of 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse. Generally, infertility is categorized into sub-fertility and sterility. Sub-fertility is considered to be the situation in which the couples face problems of achieving conception. Whereas, sterility is the extreme case in which conception can never occur. About 1 in 10 couples suffer from infertility problems. This incidence increases with the age. If a couple is unable to attain pregnancy after the 12 months of unprotected sex then they must consult a doctor.
In this article, you will find the common reasons that induce infertility and the test that is done to identify the reason of infertility. There are three basic features that are necessary to attain pregnancy.
- The right and healthy number of sperm must be place at the right time.
- The woman must be ovulating healthy eggs (ova).
- The fallopian tubes of woman must be patent. Furthermore, the pelvis of a woman should be healthy to allow fertilization and implantation after the fusion of egg and sperm.
Causes of Infertility
- Structural problem or blockage of the tract such as, blockage in fallopian tubes of female. This structural or blockage problem could be acquired due to the infections or congenital.
- Faulty sperm or egg. This is possible in both male and female due to the past infection or usage of anabolic drugs. The drugs used for cancer treatment also causes infertility problems.
- Stress, anxiety or any other psychological factors may induce this problem.
- Timing of intercourse and problem during intercourse is one of the reasons that lead to the infertility.
The first thing your doctor will advise you to try unprotected sexual intercourse for few months during the ovulation. Understanding of the menstrual cycle and ovulation time helps to conclude the maximum chance of pregnancy. You can get the detail information of menstrual cycle and ovulation in my other article about understanding your menstrual cycle to avoid or attain pregnancy. Even after the above recommendation, the problem of infertility persists then your doctor will run sperm test on male and ovulation tests on female.
The Sperm Test
The male will be asked to provide the sperm sample. This must be done by the masturbation after 3 days of abstinence from sex. This fluid is placed in a clean bottle, and kept warm. It is examined under the microscope to determine, if the problem of infertility is due to the sperm.
Normal values of a sperm concentration in more than 3mL of sperm are 20 million per milliliter. Also, sperm must be in 60% normal forms and motility.
Ovulation Tests
In this test your doctor may require the history of any past infection and complete report of menstrual cycle. On 21th day of menstrual cycle, a test will be run to test the level of hormones to determine if the ovulation is occurring or not. Sometimes, the ovum or ova is also tested to determine whether they are healthy enough to fuse with sperm or not. Also, the female body is checked for her cervical mucus and the temperature of the body.
Other Special Tests
If above tests results are positive and normal then the x-ray, MRI or Sonography is done on the fallopian tube and uterus of the female to determine any other causes of infertility.
These tests help to determine the real reason of infertility. The chances of eliminating infertility problems in a couple having sub fertility are 60%. Development in the field of medical science is ensuring more chances and opportunity to become a parent.
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