It seems like a miracle that any babies are conceived naturally at all once you’ve read this list of the causes of infertility! Believe it or not, this list is not meant to alarm you. I simply want to present you with a list of options so that you have an idea of some things you can try sorting out before you go for treatment, and so that you know what the doctor will be looking for if you choose to take that route. I’m a big supporter of knowing what is happening concerning my healthcare – because then I can have a more accurate idea of what my options are. So, begin the process of educating yourself with the following list.
Men and women:
· Lubricant – Yes, you read correctly, lubricant. Various brands and flavours of lubricant give spermies a tough time. Increased fertility could be as simple as changing your brand.
· Drugs – Things such as alcohol, recreational drugs, prescription medication, over-the-counter medication, tobacco and caffeine can all compromise your fertility.
· Stress – You have to be aware of when you’re ovulating to time sexual intercourse correctly, but if your cycle is mixed up because of tension that could make life a little more difficult.
· Timing – Timing might be the solution! There are only around 4 days of the month when you have any chance of conceiving so ensure you know when those days are!
· Weight – For men, being obese is unhelpful; and for the ladies being obese or too thin can spoil your ability to get pregnant.
· Hormones – Nonstandard hormone levels (too much or too little) might cause conditions like PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome).
· Scarring – Previous abdominal surgery could result in scar tissue which may compromise fertility. Scar tissue might also be formed by infections and if you have uterine fibroids they may have the same effect as scar tissue.
· Position – Unless you’re in orbit having sex standing up is unhelpful as the unfortunate lads have to swim against gravity. Make life a mite easier for them and let the guy be on top.
· Illnesses – STDs and other illnesses can impact your fertility negatively so have those checked.
· Organs etc. – All the bits (cavities, tubes etc) have to be in proper working order and if they aren’t you may battle to get pregnant. For the guys this may include problems like erectile dysfunction, for the ladies it may include conditions like endometriosis or fibroids.
· Immune system issues – Sometimes the woman’s system is inhospitable to sperm and treats them as dangerous trespassers. Just like the woman’s body may attack sperm, the man’s system could attack his own sperm too, particularly after a vasectomy reversal and civil war is never advantageous.
Girls only:
· Age – After 35 the quality and number of your eggs goes down quite rapidly.
· Abnormal cervical mucus – In order to get pregnant the mucus produced by the cervix has to be the correct consistency and there must be enough of it.
· Premature menopause – Excessive exercise or eating disorders could cause the body to stop producing eggs much earlier than normal.
Men only:
· Sperm – This is a littlest big problem you could have! Sperm need to be able to move well and there must be many them to ensure that at least one or two gets to the egg.
· Prostate infections – This may also trigger infertility.
· Testes – If the testes are not fully formed, if they haven’t dropped, or if they have been injured then you might experience problems with infertility.
· Variococele – Sperm die because of overheating when the veins in the scrotum are enlarged.
· Retrograde ejaculation – Sperm take a right instead of a left and wind up in the bladder instead of going out the urethra.
· Illnesses – Male infertility may also be brought about by diseases like mumps, cystic fibrosis or kidney disease.
· Environmental pollutants – Poisons like pesticides and chemicals released by plastic as it degrades could harm sperm count and quality.
· Tight Undies – Sperm get too hot and die when the testes get too hot because of jocks that are too tight.
Hopefully this list will assist you rather than strike your heart with pure terror. Now that you understand some of the causes of infertility, you can identify what to look for and decide what course of action to take.
Here is more information on Infertility Statistics. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Infertility.
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