Infertility is a person’s inability to conceive children. Try as they might, some couples just seem to be unable to bear a child. The most likely reason is that one – or both - of them is/are infertile.
It’s not really that difficult to tell whether a person is infertile or not. For women, there are over-the-counter tests which they can buy to determine infertility. Others opt to go to the doctor to get a more accurate diagnosis.
If you don’t have time to do both, then you could just observe what your body is trying to tell you.
Here are some signs which may point to infertility:
SIGNS OF INFERTILITY IN WOMEN
1. Irregular menstrual cycle
Irregular Menstruation is abnormal bleeding during a woman’s menstrual cycle. This may be caused by a number of factors, such as stress, pills intake, excessive exercise, or diet.
Symptoms include:
• Absent menstruation (amenorrhea)
• Short (less than 21 days)
• Long (over 35 days)
• Heavy flow
• Dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation)
• Short menstruation time
• Very pale menstruation
• Clotty or very dark purple/black menstruation
• Mid-cycle bleeding
CONTINUE READING ON PAGE 2
2. Hormonal Imbalance
Hormonal imbalance is one of the major causes of an irregular menstrual cycle, particularly in women with Polycyctic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
An increase or decrease in these hormones can cause a hormonal imbalance:
• Progesterone
• Estrogen
• Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
• Luteinizing Hormone (LH)
• Androgens such as DHEA, Testosterone, etc.
• Thyroid hormones
• Prolactin
3. Age
As a woman grows older, she may experience a decrease in fertility. In fact, a 30-year-old woman has a 20% chance of getting pregnant during the fertilization cycle, but by the age of 40, her chances of getting pregnant decrease to 5%.
Here are some of the complications that may arise as one grows older:
• Endometriosis
• PCOS
• Uterine Fibroids
• Ovarian Cysts
• Recurrent Miscarriages (more than 3)
• Adenomyosis
• Blocked Fallopian Tubes
• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
SIGNS OF INFERTILITY IN MEN
Of course, there is also infertility in men. Most of the time, people think it’s the woman’s fault for not being able to conceive. Obviously, men contribute to this as well as conception is a team effort.
The most common hormonal imbalance in men involves the production of:
• Testosterone
• DHEA
• Prolactin
• Estrogen
Sperm Count, Health, and Delivery Issues are:
• Vas Deferens blockage - varicoceles or STD damage
• Low sperm count (oligospermia)
• Abnormal sperm shape (teratozoospermia)
• Abnormal or poor sperm movement (asthenozoospermia)
• Immobile sperm (necrozoospermia) - this is when the sperm don’t move at all; the sperm may be dead, partially alive, or alive but do not move.
• Abnormal sperm production
• Genetic disorders
• Retrograde ejaculation
• Erectile dysfunction (ED)
• Vasectomy reversal - Up to 70% of men who’ve had a vasectomy develop antisperm antibodies.
• Physical or structural abnormalities such as undescended testicles.
CONTINUE READING ON PAGE 3
HEALTH ISSUES THAT AFFECT FERTILITY IN BOTH MEN AND WOMEN
• Thyroid issues
• Poor Adrenal Health
• Very low body weight
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Autoimmune disease
• Cancer (chemotherapy and radiation may cause Premature Ovarian Failure or Low Sperm count and health)
• Injury or trauma to the reproductive organs, or one of the endocrine glands.
• Smoking
• Alcoholism
• Drug Addiction
• Hypertension
• Long-term use of medications
• Heavy exposure to radiation or other environmental pollution
Are you having a difficult time conceiving, too? If so, you might want to get checked. Share this story with your friends. Don’t forget to leave comments below as well.
0 comments: