Causes and Cures for Infertility
What to do when love and marriage doesn’t equal a baby in the baby carriage
Infertility is a nasty little secret. It might be difficult for anyone not dealing with the pain and discouragement of failed conception to understand that pregnancies don’t always just “happen”. There are times when the pure simple love and desire to have children just aren’t enough to produce a baby.
According the New York department of health, approximately 7.1% of married couples in the US in 1995 had difficulty conceiving. That number has only increased with time according to a new study in 2008 the number of couples wrestling with infertility issues has risen to 15%.
Whose Fault is Infertility?
At one time, the blame for infertility, or even failure to produce offspring of the desired gender was placed squarely on the shoulders of the woman. Thankfully, modern research has put an end to such medieval ideas. Infertility affects both men and women.
The specific causes and rates of infertility cures vary for couple to couple. Statistically speaking, 30-40% of all reproductive concerns involve the man and the woman together, meaning they both play an equal part in delaying the stork’s anticipated visit.
Although it is possible for both partners in the relationship to share responsibility for baby’s delay, it does not mean that fertility problems are always so equally spread. For 20% of couples the hold up is entirely on the male partner’s end and in 40-50% of couples, the cause is wholly that of a feminine nature.
While these numbers might be a point of scientific interest, playing the blame game rarely results in a more timely arrival of that much-anticipated bouncing baby. What is productive when it comes to reproduction is getting down to the nitty-gritty of “why”. Why there is a fertility issue and what can be done to reverse it should become the consuming question on any want-to-be a mommy or a daddy’s mind.
What to do to Increase Fertility
No matter the cause of infertility, whether shared as a couple or not, each person is treated for their body’s own fertility needs. In other words, if it is found that both members of the couple have a fertility issue, the couple is not treated as a single entity. Rather the man and the woman are treated individually for what their body needs to get to optimum baby-making mode.
Dad’s Role in Conceiving
Many factors can decrease a man’s fertility. Most of the causes, however, deal directly with the sperm: too few, too slow, or blocked exits. Some of these little blockages can be easily fixed by switching undergarments. Other causalities however are not as simple.
The causes of male infertility stem from four basic sources:
- Low production or performance of sperm
- Sperm delivery issues
- Environmental issues
- The overall healthy lifestyle of the male in question
Low sperm production or poor performance of sperm basically means a low sperm count, sperm that is improperly formed, misshapen, or in some other way malformed, and/or sperm that doesn’t have the oomph to make that successful run for the roses.
Infection, genetic issues, heat issues, and low levels of testosterone usually cause this lazy, low sperm count. While it may seem bleak, some of these causes are actually good news. While it is true that not much can be done about genetics, there is quite a bit that can be done about overheated testicles, infection, and hormone levels.
It is possible to cool the testicles in order to produce healthy sperm in higher numbers. Infections are usually a temporary problem. While some may need an antibiotic to clear up the infection, most germs run their course on their own. Once the body is back to its usual state of health, sperm count and motility will likewise follow.
Medical hormone therapy is most often associated with women facing the change of life, but it can and does help men with low testosterone levels. If hormone treatments sound intimidating it is possible to get the same effects naturally from herbal supplements, which serve to balance hormone levels without the side effects of medical hormone treatments.
Mom’s Role in Increasing Fertility Chances
Unlike the man, fertility issues in a woman don’t center only on the egg. While it is possible for problems with faulty eggs to cause infertility, there is so much more that can go wrong in a woman’s reproductive system. For example, when a woman doesn’t ovulate, or ovulation occurs but at the wrong time, or if the timing is correct but the fallopian tubes through which the sperm and egg must pass is blocked, may all play crucial roles in conception.
The most common causes of female infertility are:
- Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes
- Diseases like endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS
- Disruption to normal ovulation
- Hormone imbalances specifically high prolactin levels
- Early menopause or peri-menopause
- Pelvic adhesions
- Uterine fibroids or tumors
- Environmental and lifestyle factors
If this list seems like the big bad news, that is because in many ways it is. The typical treatments for female infertility are usually much more invasive and yield a lower successful conception rate than those associated with male infertility. There is hope however, and women everywhere are getting the cure–and the baby they so desperately desire.
Women can boost their fertility levels with simple means. Even women who have been given a poor medical prognosis of ever conceiving a baby naturally have found they can do so with the right treatments. These treatments are often much simpler than the typical medical model prescribes.
In spite of simplicity, the results can be staggering. With the right herbal supplements in the right doses, some women have survived the two-week wait only to find that they are finally pregnant.
Infertility does not have to be a permanent wedge separating couples from their dreams of a family. Nor does treatment have to be a painful, invasive, and expensive proposition. With the right knowledge, the miracle of pregnancy can become any couple’s reality. To find out more about fertility treatments that are natural and uninvasive, click here.
