Signs of infertility are really straightforward: Either a couple conceives or they don't - and if they don't for over a year - this is a sign of infertility.
Several reasons for women's diminished fertility with advancing age include a reduced health of their eggs and a reduced ability of their ovaries to release them. There's also an increased risk of fertility-reducing health issues and miscarriage risks with age.
Of course, the years of highest fertility are in a woman's twenties, followed by increasing difficulties conceiving in her mid-thirties. By her late thirties her ovaries aren't making eggs like they used to and miscarriage risks become significant. Infertility is a common problem for women who drink or smoke very much. Today, age-related infertility is the number one reason for difficulty in conceiving for women as more women are choosing to put off having their first child until they are at least thirty-five.
When women fail to conceive after a whole year of intercourse, they are considered to fall in the Primary Infertility category. If they have conceived once before but have gone a year without conceiving (while trying the whole year), they are considered to be in the Secondary Infertility category.
Infertility runs at a fifty-fifty ratio between males and females, according to some experts. Others say that females have sixty percent of infertility issues. Statistically, ten percent of couples who are trying to conceive will have trouble, and four out of five will succeed within one year. A normal amount of time to conceive is up to two years.
Often, couples must each submit to thorough physical examinations to determine their fertility factors. There is a general misunderstanding by many couples that it's only the female who could possibly have the fertility issue. Males, however, account for a large percentage, which is why it's important that they get a medical exam as well.
The first tests normally done by a fertility specialist are for a woman's levels of FSH and her LH. (These abbreviations stand for Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone.) These tests are usually done on a woman's first and her third visits to her doctor. It should be noted that the tests for these two hormones - Luteinzing Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone - can be done on the male partner, as well. LH and FSH are both important for male fertility too.
Some of the other tests routinely done (female) include ultrasound tests, a cervical mucus test, and additional hormone testing. A post-intercourse test that's not done as much today, the cervical mucus test looks for active sperm from a sampling of the vaginal mucus. Two to eight hours following intercourse, the female is examined by the fertility specialist. Sometimes a bacterial test is done at the same time.
A pelvic ultrasound test will take from 20 to 30 minutes, and is a great way for a doctor to assess the overall condition of the female's uterus and ovaries, and the follicle development on the ovaries. It is also used to see if an egg has been released from an ovary.
There are many other tests for reproductive-related hormones available to the reproductive endocrinologist: They include tests for total testosterone, progesterone, estradiol, prolactin, free T3, free testosterone, androstenedione, and DHEAS.
Treating infertility is a subject for an entire series of articles, but in a nutshell, infertility treatments run the gamut from simple drugs to surgery. Infertility treatments can get very expensive and time-consuming - and rarely covered by insurance, so it boils down to how bad a couple wants to conceive. Certain treatable infertility problems include Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or PCOS, which is treated with the drugs clomiphene and metformin together.
Another drug treatment for infertility (for the female again) is clomiphene for ovulation problems - inability to ovulate. Hormone shots are the next thing that a woman can try, although these can have unpleasant side effects such as bloating and feeling sick. But one of the most significant side effects of hormone therapy is having triplets or more babies.
There are other infertility treatments, but one of the most intense and expensive is IVF, or in vitro fertilization. If you decide to go this route, you should know that acupuncture (by professionals trained specifically in acupuncture fertility therapy) has proven to increase the success rate of IVF pregnancies. Be aware, however, that IVF also increases the chance of multiple births: 1 in 3 IVF couples will be parents of twins. - 29962
Several reasons for women's diminished fertility with advancing age include a reduced health of their eggs and a reduced ability of their ovaries to release them. There's also an increased risk of fertility-reducing health issues and miscarriage risks with age.
Of course, the years of highest fertility are in a woman's twenties, followed by increasing difficulties conceiving in her mid-thirties. By her late thirties her ovaries aren't making eggs like they used to and miscarriage risks become significant. Infertility is a common problem for women who drink or smoke very much. Today, age-related infertility is the number one reason for difficulty in conceiving for women as more women are choosing to put off having their first child until they are at least thirty-five.
When women fail to conceive after a whole year of intercourse, they are considered to fall in the Primary Infertility category. If they have conceived once before but have gone a year without conceiving (while trying the whole year), they are considered to be in the Secondary Infertility category.
Infertility runs at a fifty-fifty ratio between males and females, according to some experts. Others say that females have sixty percent of infertility issues. Statistically, ten percent of couples who are trying to conceive will have trouble, and four out of five will succeed within one year. A normal amount of time to conceive is up to two years.
Often, couples must each submit to thorough physical examinations to determine their fertility factors. There is a general misunderstanding by many couples that it's only the female who could possibly have the fertility issue. Males, however, account for a large percentage, which is why it's important that they get a medical exam as well.
The first tests normally done by a fertility specialist are for a woman's levels of FSH and her LH. (These abbreviations stand for Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone.) These tests are usually done on a woman's first and her third visits to her doctor. It should be noted that the tests for these two hormones - Luteinzing Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone - can be done on the male partner, as well. LH and FSH are both important for male fertility too.
Some of the other tests routinely done (female) include ultrasound tests, a cervical mucus test, and additional hormone testing. A post-intercourse test that's not done as much today, the cervical mucus test looks for active sperm from a sampling of the vaginal mucus. Two to eight hours following intercourse, the female is examined by the fertility specialist. Sometimes a bacterial test is done at the same time.
A pelvic ultrasound test will take from 20 to 30 minutes, and is a great way for a doctor to assess the overall condition of the female's uterus and ovaries, and the follicle development on the ovaries. It is also used to see if an egg has been released from an ovary.
There are many other tests for reproductive-related hormones available to the reproductive endocrinologist: They include tests for total testosterone, progesterone, estradiol, prolactin, free T3, free testosterone, androstenedione, and DHEAS.
Treating infertility is a subject for an entire series of articles, but in a nutshell, infertility treatments run the gamut from simple drugs to surgery. Infertility treatments can get very expensive and time-consuming - and rarely covered by insurance, so it boils down to how bad a couple wants to conceive. Certain treatable infertility problems include Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or PCOS, which is treated with the drugs clomiphene and metformin together.
Another drug treatment for infertility (for the female again) is clomiphene for ovulation problems - inability to ovulate. Hormone shots are the next thing that a woman can try, although these can have unpleasant side effects such as bloating and feeling sick. But one of the most significant side effects of hormone therapy is having triplets or more babies.
There are other infertility treatments, but one of the most intense and expensive is IVF, or in vitro fertilization. If you decide to go this route, you should know that acupuncture (by professionals trained specifically in acupuncture fertility therapy) has proven to increase the success rate of IVF pregnancies. Be aware, however, that IVF also increases the chance of multiple births: 1 in 3 IVF couples will be parents of twins. - 29962
About the Author:
Janet has been publishing helpful articles on fertility and pregnancy for years. Discover more about acupuncture and infertility and smart ways to monitor fertility with innovative solutions such as the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor and other methods on the website.
