Infertility is a condition that both men and women can have which causes reproduction complications. Since conception is a complicated process, a variety of factors can cause couples to have trouble conceiving. This problem is usually diagnosed by physicians after a couple has had no success with trying to reproduce after one year or longer. Sometimes a woman can become pregnant, but will have a miscarriage if the embryo isn’t healthy or her hormonal factors aren’t sufficient for the embryo’s development.
Both partners will be given a physical examination to evaluate any physical disorders that may be causing the infertility. Since males and females both can be infertile, they both undergo an examination. For women, the testing includes ovulation evaluation, laparoscopy, and an x-ray of the uterus and fallopian tubes. The testing on men initially focuses on semen evaluation, as the most common factors for male infertility includes either azoospermia or oligospermia, meaning no or too few sperm cells are produced. Cystic fibrosis can also cause infertility problems in males, although rarely.
Doctors will also interview a couple about their sexual habits in order to determine whether the intercourse itself is causing problems for conception. Couples over the age of 35 will have more trouble conceiving than younger couples, and the effectiveness of treatment also decreases. Thus, men and women who have trouble conceiving after six months to a year should visit a doctor as soon as possible, as the chances of success will decrease year after year.
Couples deal with infertility treatment differently. It all depends on how far they are willing to go in seeking help. Some will try medicine but don’t want to have surgery, while others will do whatever it takes. Some will even try holistic approaches that focus on lifestyle, dieting, and physical therapy. Counseling is also available to help couples with the emotional aspects of being unable to have children.
Usually, doctors prescribe to women the medicine clomiphene, which stimulates ovaries in order to trigger a release of eggs, thus increasing the chances of getting pregnant. This medicine includes Serophene, Clomid, and Milophene, and is generally considered to be both effective and safe. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work for everyone, and hormone shots are the next option.
The side effects of hormonal shots can be somewhat problematic for women who have large ovarian cysts. However, they are highly effective, so much in fact that it’s common for women who receive the injections to become pregnant with twins or triplets.
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