What Will My Doctor Ask During An Appointment To Diagnose Female Infertility
Your healthcare provider will need to know about your menstrual periods, any past pregnancies, miscarriages, pelvic pain, unusual vaginal bleeding or discharge. You may also be asked about any past pelvic infections or sexually transmitted infections . Some questions may include:
- Have you had any previous pregnancies or miscarriages?
- Is your menstrual cycle normal and regular or painful and irregular?
- Do you have heavy bleeding or abnormal discharge?
- Do you have any pelvic pain?
- Have you had any abdominal surgeries in the past?
Why Can’t I Get Pregnant 11 Possible Reasons
Rachel Gurevich is a fertility advocate, author, and recipient of The Hope Award for Achievement, from Resolve: The National Infertility Association. She is a professional member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and has been writing about womens health since 2001. Rachel uses her own experiences with infertility to write compassionate, practical, and supportive articles.
Leyla Bilali, RN is a registered nurse, fertility nurse, and fertility consultant in the New York City area. She works in house at a reputable private clinic in New York City while also seeing her own clients through her concierge fertility consulting and nursing services business.
If you’ve been trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant, you may be wondering, “Why can’t I get pregnant?” You could be worrying that you never will. However, there are many possible reasons why you aren’t conceiving and many possible solutions.
You may have ovulation irregularities, structural problems in the reproductive system, low sperm count, or an underlying medical problem. Or you simply haven’t tried long enough.
While infertility can have symptoms like irregular periods or severe menstrual cramps, most causes of infertility are silent. Male infertility, for example, rarely has symptoms. Here are 11 possible reasons you haven’t conceived yet.
Can You Be Infertile But Have A Period
You can have a period and still be infertile. The fact that you are menstruating doesn’t necessarily mean that you can conceive, especially if your cycles are irregular.
- If your cycles are longer than normal , shorter than normal or nonexistent, your ovulation will most likely be affected.
- You may not ovulate every month, you may not have the ability to pinpoint when ovulation will occur, or you may not ovulate at all.
- Not knowing when or if you ovulate can cause great difficulty in getting pregnant.
Even if you experience regular cycles, you may still have problems with ovulation or you simply may not ovulate which is a condition known as anovulation. Other menstrual disorders that can affect your fertility include:
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Not Trying Long Enough
The first thing to consider is how long have you been trying. It may feel like you’ve been trying foreverand maybe you havebut it’s important to know that many couples don’t conceive right away.
About 80% of cisgender, heterosexual couples conceive after six months of trying. Approximately 90% will be pregnant after 12 months of trying to get pregnant. These rates assume you have well-timed intercourse every month.
Ovulation Problems Causing Female Infertility
The menstrual cycle functions by several glands and their hormones working in harmony. For ovulation to occur, a part of the brain called the hypothalamus prompts the nearby pituitary gland to secrete hormones that trigger the ovaries to ripen eggs. Irregular or absent periods indicate that ovulation may be irregular or absent too.
The age of the woman is a significant fertility factor. The chance of pregnancy for a woman aged 40 years is only 5% per menstrual cycle. Ageing eggs are thought to be the cause.
A woman is born with her entire egg supply and, as time passes, these eggs become less viable. Other difficulties for women over 40 include increased risk of miscarriage and genetic abnormalities in the unborn baby.
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The New Technology Bypasses Everything That Can Go Wrong No Matter What The So
Almost anything that can go wrong in the arduous process which sperm and eggs normally have to go through is bypassed and made easy by the new technology. In a sense, we are introducing the sperm directly to the egg in an ideal environment in which they can truly get to know each other and making things much easier for them to get along. The fact is that no matter what the diagnosis , the GIFT technique will result in a pregnancy rate of 45 percent for each treatment cycle attempted despite many, many years of prior infertility and despite what the diagnosis is, whether correctly or incorrectly having been made.
What Does It Mean To Be Sterile For A Man
A diagnosis of male infertility can frequently break a mans heart. Imagine, telling him he will never father a child through the natural route!. No man in the world can bear to hear a statement that he is sterile and he will never be able to father a child without a treatment.
A diagnosis of a male sterility breaks men both physically and mentally. Men may not be able to sustain a normal sexual life after a diagnosis of male sterility.
This scenario frequently occurs in a fertility center or fertility clinic when the male partner is diagnosed with Azoospermia. This happens simply because most fertility centers in India do not employ a full time qualified Andrologist to deal with the agony men face!.
A sad story right?
When Vasectomy reversal fails, men break down. Normally, a vasectomy reversal is done for those men who completed their family.
However, in some instances, they may want to try for a child especially when unforeseeable circumstances cause the death of a sibling. Most married men fill the void left by the death of a previous child by trying for a baby, some other couples though may just dissolve their marriage to avoid the pain of seeing each other
So, to finally conclude
I hope you enjoyed reading this article on Can a sterile man get a woman pregnant?. Now that you know the truly scientific answer to this question, the next time someone blames a loved one for fertility issues YOU know you can give a fitting reply!.
References
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Diet And Lifestyle Changes For Pcos And Fertility
In general, living a healthier lifestyle with a better diet, regular exercise, no smoking, less stress, and control of diabetes and other medical conditions should improve your fertility odds.
Managing weight
Not all people who have PCOS are overweight, but many are. For some women, gaining a lot of weight can affect their hormones. In turn, losing weight, if youâre obese or overweight, may help get your hormones back to normal levels. Losing 10% of your body weight may help your menstrual cycle become more predictable. This should help you get pregnant.
Your doctor may recommend a diet thatâs lower in calories and fat and watching the size of your portions. But losing weight is not easy for everyone. A nutritionist or dietitian may be able to help. Also, keeping a journal of your meals and snacks or using an app to help track your food can make things easier.
Managing blood sugar
Many people with PCOS also have insulin resistance. Thatâs when your body doesnât use insulin the way it should. Insulin keeps your blood sugar levels steady.
To manage your blood sugar, your doctor may suggest eating foods that are lower in sugar and certain carbohydrates . Some carbs are good for you, like vegetables and fruit. But you should avoid others, which are found in processed food, white flour, rice, potatoes, and sugar. Eating other healthy foods â poultry and other lean meats, fish, and whole grains â can help with your blood sugar levels, too.
Exercising
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Identifying Signs Of Infertility: Symptoms Causes And First Steps
May 14, 2020
Infertility is more common than many may think. It affects one in eight heterosexual couples who are trying to get pregnant. Overall, 12 to 15% of people are infertile.
As a reproductive endocrinologist, my colleagues and I witness firsthand the impact that infertility has on people who desire to have a baby. Its part of what drives our passion to help them find hope whenever possible. At the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Fertility, we start by identifying the causes of infertility in each person or couple, then exploring every possible option to help our patients build their families.
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How Is Female Infertility Treated
Once your healthcare provider has diagnosed female infertility and pinpointed the cause, there are a variety of treatment options. The cause of the infertility guides the type of treatment. For example, structural problems may be treated through surgery, while hormonal medications can be used for other issues .
Many patients will require artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization .
Adoption and gestational surrogacy may also be options for women with infertility who wish to start a family.
What Is Intrauterine Insemination
Intrauterine insemination is an infertility treatment that is often called artificial insemination. In this procedure, the woman is injected with specially prepared sperm. Sometimes the woman is also treated with medicines that stimulate ovulation before IUI.
IUI is often used to treat:
- Mild male factor infertility
- Women who have problems with their cervical mucus
- Couples with unexplained infertility
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Damaged Or Blocked Fallopian Tubes
Fallopian tubes are the tubes that carry the egg from the ovary to the womb.
Damaged or blocked fallopian tubes happen when your tube or tubes are blocked or scarred.
This is generally caused by infections such as appendicitis or pelvic inflammatory disease .
It can also happen after surgery on your pelvis, particularly if scar tissue forms.
An ectopic pregnancy also damage your fallopian tube or create a need to remove a tube.
The New Reproductive Technology
In The New York Times Magazine in December of 1989, a forty-one-year-old writer named Paulette conveyed her sense of loss at trying to have a child in her late thirties, not succeeding, and now finding herself a successful forty-one-year-old writer who sadly will probably never have a baby. It wasnt until she reached age thirty-eight that she decided to stop using birth control pills and tried to get pregnant. She read a book called Fertility Awareness and hoped she could get pregnant naturally with just a little bit of help from knowing more about the timing of her cycle and the quality of her cervical mucus. It wasnt until she reached forty that she saw a local doctor who began fertility testing, including mucus testing, hormone testing, and two endometrial biopsies .
In fact, what Paulette went through is the conventional wisdom of trying to make a diagnosis and then using simple, non-invasive treatment appropriate to that diagnosis. The problem with this conventional wisdom is that, first, many of these diagnoses are just normal variants which have nothing to do with why the woman is not getting pregnant, and second, when time has almost run out, fiddling around for too long with the old-fashioned approaches may waste the few precious years you have left.
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Your Gp Will Ask You About Your Lifestyle General Health And Medical History They May Ask You Questions About:
- any previous pregnancies or children you may have
- how long you have been trying to conceive
- how often you have sex
- how long it has been since you stopped using contraception
- if you take any medication
- your lifestyle and habits.
They may also advise you about the things you can do to improve your chances of getting pregnant and how your partner can improve their fertility.
When To Call A Doctor
See a healthcare provider about your fertility if
- You’re 35 years or older and have been trying for at least six months
- You’re younger than 35 and have been trying for at least one year
If either of these situations matches your experience, seek medical advice, even if you have no symptoms of a fertility problem.
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What Are The Complications Of Pcos
If you have PCOS and your androgen levels are too high, you have higher odds for a number of complications. These can differ from person to person and include:
Trouble getting pregnant. Cysts in the ovaries can interfere with ovulation. Thatâs when one of your ovaries releases an egg each month. If a healthy egg isnât available to be fertilized by a sperm, you canât get pregnant. You may still be able to get pregnant if you have PCOS. But you might have to take medicine and work with a fertility specialist to make it happen.
Insulin issues and diabetes.Insulin resistance may cause your body to make too many androgens. If you have insulin resistance, the cells in your muscles, organs, and other tissues donât absorb blood sugar very well. As a result, you can have too much sugar moving through your bloodstream. This is called diabetes, and it can cause problems with your cardiovascular and nervous systems. PCOS can also cause gestational diabetes .
Metabolic syndrome. This group of symptoms raises the risk of cardiovascular disease. The symptoms include high triglyceride and low HDL cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar levels.
Other common complications of PCOS include:
- Miscarriage or premature birth
What Are My Options For Treating Infertility
If you are infertile and want to have a child, there are many treatment options.
You may increase your chance of falling pregnant if you know your most fertile days.
You can treat any underlying causes like endometriosis or sexually transmitted infections. You can use artificial insemination, or you can seek a fertility treatment like in vitro fertilisation . You may consider surrogacy or adopting a child.
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How Does Age Impact Female Infertility
As a woman ages, her chances of becoming pregnant decreases. Age is becoming a more common factor in female infertility because many couples are waiting to have children until their 30s or 40s. Women over age 35 have a higher risk of having fertility issues. The reasons for this include:
- Overall number of eggs is lower.
- More eggs have an abnormal number of chromosomes.
- An increased risk of other health conditions.
What Do Hormones Have To Do With Pcos
When you have PCOS, your reproductive hormones are out of balance. This can lead to problems with your ovaries, such as not having your period on time or not getting it at all.
Your body makes hormones to make different things happen. Some affect your menstrual cycle and are tied to your ability to have a baby. The hormones that play a role in PCOS include:
- Androgens. Theyâre often called male hormones, but women have them, too. Women with PCOS tend to have higher levels.
- Insulin. This hormone manages your blood sugar. If you have PCOS, your body might not react to insulin the way it should.
- Progesterone. With PCOS, your body may not have enough of this hormone. You might miss your periods for a long time or have trouble predicting when theyâll come.
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How Do You Negate The Inverse Of A Statement
To negate that part of the statement, it is necessary to make it positive again. So, ÒwonÕtÓ for ÒwillÓ was switched out in the inverse statement. To use the converse in math, switch the positions of the hypothesis and conclusion so that that conclusion comes first and the hypothesis comes after the comma.
Dark Or Pale Menstrual Blood
If menstrual blood is regularly paler than usual, this may be a cause for concern. Menstrual blood is usually bright red at the beginning of a persons period and may get darker over the following days.
Passing very dark, old blood at the beginning of a period can also be a sign of endometriosis. If a person is experiencing other symptoms, they may wish to speak to a doctor.
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Heavy Long Or Painful Periods
Some women experience a few days of light flow, while others regularly experience heavy periods and painful cramps.
Women who experience very heavy, painful periods may be showing signs of endometriosis, a condition where tissues usually found in the womb are present elsewhere in the body.
Endometriosis is a risk factor for infertility.
Other symptoms of endometriosis include:
- chronic pelvic pain
- pain during sex
- bowel problems or pain with bowel movements
What Are The Causes Of Infertility
There are many causes of infertility. Sometimes the problem is with the woman, sometimes the problem is with the man, sometimes with both, and sometimes there is no obvious reason for it.
For example, a woman may have:
- hormonal disorders
- poor sperm movement or shape
Age is an important factor. From the age of 32, a womans chances of getting pregnant start to decrease, and from age 35, the rate of that decrease speeds up.
Men aged 35 are half as fertile as they were at the age of 25, and from the age of 55, their fertility decreases dramatically.
Your weight will also affect your fertility. Both women and men who are overweight have changes to their hormones that make it harder for them to be fertile.
Smokers are more likely to be infertile than non-smokers.
The more alcohol men and women drink, the less likely a successful pregnancy is.
Some sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea can reduce fertility in both men and women.
Read more about good fertility health.
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