Signs of Infertility in Men and Women - An Overview
Although there are no noticeable physical signs to indicate that you or your partner may be infertile, the first indicator of infertility - based on medical definition - is that you still can't get pregnant after a year of regular unprotected sex done during your fertile days.
There are certain symptoms or risk factors though that may hint a potential infertility obstacle.
For those who have any of these indications or signs of infertility, you should arrange a visit to your doctor or a fertile specialist before you waste a year trying to conceive.
Irregular menstrual cycles or not having period This is a predictive clue of infertility in women.
An abnormal cycle, which can be unusually short (less than 24 days) or prolonged (more than 35 days), or perhaps unpredictable, may be a warning of ovulation issues.
In case you are not getting your menstrual periods (amenorrhea), this also suggests possible infertility issue or other medical problem.
Unless you happen to be taking contraception pills that may take several cycles for your period to return to normal, you'll need to pay a visit to your doctor to rule out any underlying medical ailments, including polycystic ovarian syndrome or malformed reproductive organs (e.
g.
ovary is twisted or not positioned at the right place).
Have had over three consecutive miscarriages While infertility is normally construed as the inability to become pregnant, a woman who suffers from recurrent miscarriages can also be regarded as infertile after she has experienced three repeated miscarriage.
Presence of medical conditions in the reproductive system Any of these problems might give rise to infertility, and they call for medical treatment before you are able to get pregnant: * Endometriosis * Pelvic inflammatory disease * Narrowing of the cervix * Uterine fibroid Additional risk factors or indications of infertility * You're over 35 years old - at age 30, a woman's chance of conceiving during any one cycle is 20%, and by age 40 the odds plummet to a very low 5%.
Should you be more than 35 years old, it's best to find help if pregnancy does not take place after 6 months of unprotected sex.
* You're either underweight or overweight - Overly thin or overweight often leads to infertility problems.
* You or your spouse smoke or consume alcohol - these unhealthy habits have been connected to men and female infertility.
* You have a history of sexually transmitted disease (STD) - STDs, including chlamydia or gonorrhea, can result in blockage of the fallopian tubes, causing pregnancy either impossible or escalating the possibility of ectopic pregnancy.
* Your partner has an ejaculatory problem - Sexual dysfunction is usually a red flag for male factor infertility.
However this does not necessarily reflect low sperm counts or inhibited sperm motility, which can only be determined with a sperm analysis.
* You or your spouse were treated for cancer in the past - cancer treatments, particularly radiation therapy surrounding the reproductive organs area, can be a cause to impaired fertility.
For the risk factors and signs of infertility mentioned above, a few of them inevitably warrant medical treatment or surgical procedures to have them eliminated, while some could be overcome with a holistic healing approach, which consist of eating a properly balanced diet, performing suitable exercise, making use of Chinese medicines, herbs and also acupuncture.
There are certain symptoms or risk factors though that may hint a potential infertility obstacle.
For those who have any of these indications or signs of infertility, you should arrange a visit to your doctor or a fertile specialist before you waste a year trying to conceive.
Irregular menstrual cycles or not having period This is a predictive clue of infertility in women.
An abnormal cycle, which can be unusually short (less than 24 days) or prolonged (more than 35 days), or perhaps unpredictable, may be a warning of ovulation issues.
In case you are not getting your menstrual periods (amenorrhea), this also suggests possible infertility issue or other medical problem.
Unless you happen to be taking contraception pills that may take several cycles for your period to return to normal, you'll need to pay a visit to your doctor to rule out any underlying medical ailments, including polycystic ovarian syndrome or malformed reproductive organs (e.
g.
ovary is twisted or not positioned at the right place).
Have had over three consecutive miscarriages While infertility is normally construed as the inability to become pregnant, a woman who suffers from recurrent miscarriages can also be regarded as infertile after she has experienced three repeated miscarriage.
Presence of medical conditions in the reproductive system Any of these problems might give rise to infertility, and they call for medical treatment before you are able to get pregnant: * Endometriosis * Pelvic inflammatory disease * Narrowing of the cervix * Uterine fibroid Additional risk factors or indications of infertility * You're over 35 years old - at age 30, a woman's chance of conceiving during any one cycle is 20%, and by age 40 the odds plummet to a very low 5%.
Should you be more than 35 years old, it's best to find help if pregnancy does not take place after 6 months of unprotected sex.
* You're either underweight or overweight - Overly thin or overweight often leads to infertility problems.
* You or your spouse smoke or consume alcohol - these unhealthy habits have been connected to men and female infertility.
* You have a history of sexually transmitted disease (STD) - STDs, including chlamydia or gonorrhea, can result in blockage of the fallopian tubes, causing pregnancy either impossible or escalating the possibility of ectopic pregnancy.
* Your partner has an ejaculatory problem - Sexual dysfunction is usually a red flag for male factor infertility.
However this does not necessarily reflect low sperm counts or inhibited sperm motility, which can only be determined with a sperm analysis.
* You or your spouse were treated for cancer in the past - cancer treatments, particularly radiation therapy surrounding the reproductive organs area, can be a cause to impaired fertility.
For the risk factors and signs of infertility mentioned above, a few of them inevitably warrant medical treatment or surgical procedures to have them eliminated, while some could be overcome with a holistic healing approach, which consist of eating a properly balanced diet, performing suitable exercise, making use of Chinese medicines, herbs and also acupuncture.
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