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Many women and men dream of having a child of their own. Sometimes, however, you find that your efforts are ineffective, and this often creates sadness, stress, frustration, or blaming yourself or your partner. To this day, there is a harmful stereotype that it is a woman who is responsible for problems with getting pregnant. Nothing could be more wrong. This unpleasant problem, which sometimes becomes a personal drama, may be related to the health problems of a man, a woman, and both partners.
It is assumed that you should visit a doctor when you do not become pregnant despite regular intercourse, i.e. on average 4-5 times a week for one year after making the decision to have children. According to the Polish Gynecological Society, z infertility as many as 1,5 million Polish couples are struggling. Every year it affects more and more people in the world, which is why we are dealing with a civilization problem. Thanks to the information below, you will find out what is the difference between infertility and infertilityand what are the factors affecting the sterilityhow it can be treated and what diagnostic tests should be performed if a problem occurs.
Infertility and infertility
Infertility is sometimes mistaken for infertility. In fact, they are two different concepts. Sterility is a temporary condition with difficulty getting pregnant and can be cured, however infertility it is a permanent state that makes it impossible to conceive a child. Among the causes infertility women are mentioned with premature menopause, no uterus or ovaries (surgical removal or birth defect), and men are lacking testicles and permanent damage to the vas deferens.
Factors influencing infertility
Risk factors affecting the problems getting pregnant include insanitary lifestyle, overweight, obesity, diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases (e.g. chlamydiosis), smoking, alcohol abuse, drug use, stress and environmental influences (chemicals, exposure to pesticides, heavy metals, etc.). They apply to both women and men.
In the case of women problems getting pregnant can begin after the age of 30, when fertility begins to decline. There are also a number of reasons affecting sterility in the female sex. These are mainly endocrine problems affecting ovulation disorders (diseases of the thyroid gland and adrenal glands), endometriosis, genital cysts and fibroids, ovarian function blockage, polycystic ovary syndrome, obstruction of the fallopian tubes, diseases caused by infection, diseases of the vagina, cervix and pituitary gland cerebral.
In most cases male infertility the culprit is poor quality sperm. The norm of normal sperm drops drastically. Currently, according to WHO, it amounts to 14 million sperm per 1 ml of semen, previously (still around 50 years ago) the standard was the content of 40 to 60 million sperm in 1 ml of semen. Other causes include the use of anabolic steroids, premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, impotence, testicular diseases and injuries, and certain genetic disorders (e.g. Klinefelter’s syndrome).
Problems getting pregnant – where to start?
You should see a doctor who will diagnose the problem and appropriately direct the treatment. Treatment methods infertility There are many. They differ in the degree of invasiveness and difficulty of carrying out. The choice of an effective method of treatment should be appropriate to the stage of advancement problem with getting pregnant. These include ovulation induction (stimulation of ovulation) with the use of appropriate drugs, stimulation of spermatogenesis (the process of sperm formation and maturation), surgical procedures for obstruction of male and female reproductive systems, in vitro fertilization in vitro and intrauterine insemination. There are medical institutions that specialize in treatment of infertility. It is worth directing your first steps there. Medicine continues to move forward, and couples worried about the lack of results from trying for offspring should not lose hope or give up in their struggle.
What tests should be performed if there are problems with getting pregnant?
In case problems getting pregnant perform an ovulation test, hysterosalpingography (HSG) assessing the condition of the uterus and the patency of the fallopian tubes, ultrasound of the reproductive organs, PCT test (postcoital test for mucus hostility or Sims-Huhner) to check the behavior and survival of sperm in the cervical mucus, endoscopic hysteroscopy to assess the uterine cavity from the inside, appropriate hormonal tests (including prolactin, progesterone, testosterone, T3, T4, follitropin, lutorphin) and immunological tests.
Men should also investigate follitropin, lutorphin, testosterone and prolactin levels. They perform a semogram twice, i.e. a semen test assessing the volume of sperm, the condition, quantity and mobility of sperm and the pH of the ejaculate.