How
many people are affected by infertility?
Estimates are that
one in six couples are affected by some degree of infertility.
However, that number may be very misleading. Many couples opt
to lead child-free lives rather than seek treatment for their
infertility, and we believe they are rarely included in infertility
estimates. Others suffer recurrent pregnancy losses which are,
in a way, a form of infertility---and are not technically considered
"infertile" because they are able to conceive.
INCIID is in the
process of creating a survey designed to provide new insights about
who is infertile, what kinds of infertility they are experiencing,
what kinds of treatments have been successful for specific diagnoses,
and much more. This survey will be conducted online, and is
expected to be a source of important clinical information for
practitioners as well as consumers.
When
should a woman/ couple become concerned about not becoming
pregnant?
When a couple has
failed to conceive after one year of well-timed intercourse, they
should seek expert care. In cases where the woman is older than
age 35, treatment should be sought after six months of well-timed
intercourse. If a woman knows that she has endometriosis or
polycystic ovarian disease, the couple should move immediately to
expert care. If the husband has known male factor infertility (low or
no sperm count, poor morphology or motility, etc.), the couple should
move immediately to expert care. If a woman has had two consecutive
pregnancy losses, the couple should move to expert care.
Are
there any symptoms a woman/ couple may notice which might indicate an
inability to conceive?
Women who have
extreme pain associated with ovulation or menstruation may be at risk
for endometriosis and should seek expert care. Women who are
annovulatory (don't ovulate) or who have very irregular cycles may be
at risk for polycystic ovarian disease and should seek expert
care. Unmanaged, these diseases can cause serious barriers to
fertility. However, early treatment and expert management can
preserve a woman's fertility.
What
are the most common causes of infertility?
Some of the more
common causes of infertility are diminished ovarian reserve (older
women or women with premature ovarian failure), blocked fallopian
tubes (sometimes because of
endometriosis,
pelvic
inflammatory disease,
and
STDs),
endometriosis and polycystic ovarian disease. Low sperm count,
poor sperm morphology (the shape of the sperm) and poor motility (the
ability of the sperm to swim in the right direction) are also major
contributors to a couple's infertility. The estimates are that
overall fertility problems are 50 percent female and 50 percent
male.
What
are some less common causes of infertility?
Although still
considered "uncommon" by many practitioners, evidence is mounting
that many cases of "unexplained" infertility are actually the result
of an immune system malfunction. There are many variances of
immune problems--- ranging from antisperm antibodies to an outright
rejection of a developing fetus. The good news is that there is
greatly improved testing now available to screen for these problems,
and new treatment protocols are netting unprecedented success
rates.
