Guide To Getting Pregnant

Infertility is defined as the inability of a couple to get pregnant after trying to do so for at least one year. About 20 percent of the couples in the United States have to deal with the problem of infertility. About 40 percent of infertility cases are due to a problem with the sperm of the male. About another 40 percent of the causes of infertility are due to a problem with the female. These causes include ovulation problems, tubal problems, endometriosis and cervical factors. About 20 percent of the infertility cases are due to problems in both the male and female or of unknown cause.

The infertility problems in men can be caused by problems in their sperm. Some men have a low sperm count. The normal sperm count in one milliliter of semen is over 20 million. A man with a sperm count of 5 to 20 million is considered subfertile. A man with a sperm count of less than 5 million is considered infertile. Sperm that do not swim well (sperm motility) and do not have normal structures may also cause problems. Some sperm may be immature or have abnormalities in their head or tail. A semen sample has to contain less than 25 percent of these types of sperm to be considered normal. An abnormal volume of semen can also decrease the chances of successful fertilization.

There are many conditions that can adversely affect your sperm such as having only one testicle, testicles that are smaller than normal, or abnormally large veins (varicocele) in the testicles. There are things that might affect the formation of sperm (spermatogenesis) including exposure to various toxins, alcohol abuse, drug use, anabolic steroid use, diabetes and thyroid or other endocrine diseases. There are treatments that might help with male infertility. Your doctor can improve your sperm motility by injecting small doses of testosterone. You can get rid of varicoceles through surgery. There is also a procedure called artificial insemination that might help. Artificial insemination is a mechanical means of depositing the male’s most motile sperm or donor sperm into the uterus of the female.

Ovulatory problems account for most cases of female infertility. If there are ovulatory problems, there may be no eggs to be fertilized. Problems with the thyroid and pituitary glands can be responsible for ovulatory problems since they release hormones that help regulate the menstrual cycle. There are medications that can stimulate fertility such as Clomid and Pergonal. You can check to see that you do not have an ovulatory problem by making sure that an ovum is produced each month, your morning body temperature is slightly higher around the time of ovulation and luteinizing hormones are released just before ovulation.

Pelvic adhesions are fibrous scars that prevent sperm from reaching the egg or interfere with fertilization. These scars can be caused by previous surgeries, abortions, prior births, or pelvic inflammatory disease. Endometriosis can lead to pelvic adhesions. Endometriosis is a disorder in which the uterine tissue is located outside of the uterus. The bleeding from the uterine tissue during the menstrual period can cause irritation within the pelvis, which can lead to scarring. Pelvic adhesions can also block a fallopian tube. This may prevent the ovum and sperm from meeting in the fallopian tube.

A hysterosalpingogram is an x-ray exam that can show if a fallopian tube is blocked. This exam checks to see if dye material can travel through the tube. Some women have become pregnant after this exam because the dye material has helped removed the obstruction in the fallopian tube. A doctor can determine if you have scarring by doing a laparoscopy. This procedure uses a scope that is inserted into the abdomen through an incision near the naval. During the laparoscopy, the doctor can treat pelvic adhesions by cutting them with special instruments. There are also medications that can treat endometriosis. In addition, surgery may be required if there is an obstruction caused by pelvic adhesions.

Problems with the cervix can also cause infertility. The cervix is the opening from the vagina to the uterus. The cervix produces mucus, which helps transport the sperm into the uterus. Occasionally, the mucus is too thick and will prevent the sperm from getting into the uterus. There are some situations where there is a smaller amount of mucus because of an injury that reduces the number of glands in the cervix. Also, if surgery or infection caused scarring of the cervix, the cervical opening may get smaller which makes it more difficult for the sperm to get through. If there is an infection, you can use antibiotics to treat it. If mucus is the problem, you can use artificial insemination to bypass the mucus.

Author: Michael Russell

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Infertility

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There is no doubt that smoking affects both female and male fertility. In women cigarette smoke is harmful to her ovaries and the longer that she has been a smoker the more harm is done. Smoking accelerates the loss of eggs and reproductive function and may cause menopause to advance by several years. The toxins in cigarette smoke interfere with the ability of the cells in the ovaries to create estrogen which causes the egg to be more likely to develop genetic abnormalities. There is also an increased risk of spontaneous miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. If a smoker does manage to produce a baby it is more likely to have a low birth weight or be premature. And the likelihood of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is higher in a household where someone is a smoker.

Just as smoking has an impact on the general health of a man it also affects his reproductive  health as well. The sperm count of a smoker is on average between 13 and 17% lower than non-smokers. A man who smokes has more dead and malformed sperm and a lack of sperm motility. Smoking also stops the adhesion of the sperm to the egg which means fertilization cannot take place. What is equally worrying is that these affects are present whether the man is an occasional, periodic or even a passive smoker.

Cigarette smoke also damages the genetic makeup of the sperm – which cannot be repaired. This is now believed to be passing on permanent genetic ill health to any smoker’s child. Children of five years of age whose fathers smoked an average of a packet of cigarettes a day for five years prior to conception have a 70% higher risk of developing cancer than children born to a non smoking man.

Not only that but smoking can damage the veins necessary to gain an erection increasing the risk of erectile dysfunction by about 50% for men in their thirties and forties.

The good news is as soon as you stop smoking your body starts to repair itself. One day smoking is one day closer to restoring your fertility naturally and regaining general health and well being.

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Female infertility is fairly common nowadays. There are many causes of female infertility which are quite easily diagnosed. With the correct diagnosis of female infertility, it can be tackled successfully. If you suspect that you have female infertility, the first step is to understand the various causes of female infertility, so that you can determine whether to seek the appropriate treatment. Most doctors will recommend that if you are under the age of 39 and you have been trying to get conceive unsuccessfully for a year, it is time to consult a medical doctor.

The Causes of Female Infertility

There are many factors that contribute to female infertility. One is hormonal disorder that can affect the ovulation process. If hormonal problems are the cause of female infertility, the treatment options include taking hormones orally. There are numerous test kits available that can detect hormonal problems, including the basal body temperature chart, an ovulation predictor test and blood tests that can measure the hormone levels at different times during the monthly cycle.

Another cause of infertility is due damaged or blocked fallopian tubes. The fallopian tubes are the means through which an egg will descend from the ovaries to the uterus. If an egg cannot travel through the fallopian tubes, it will not be accessible by the sperms and hence, conception cannot take place. Infections, endometriosis and surgeries can cause damage to the fallopian tubes. This condition can usually be diagnosed with a variety of tools. Sometimes, surgery can remedy this situation. In other cases, the treatment may involve bypassing the fallopian tubes by extracting the egg directly from the ovary, fertilizing it in a lab and then transplanting it back into the uterus.

In rare cases, the cause of the female infertility cannot be determined. In such case, you and your doctor will need to decide on whether to proceed with any of the female infertility treatment options available. Failing everything, adoption will be the only means of having a child. However, with so many female infertility treatments available today, your chances of successfully conceiving a healthy baby are greater than ever before.

Common Female Infertility Treatments

New drugs are now available to enhance the success rate of many female infertility treatments. The potent combination of drugs, hormone therapy and various methods like artificial insemination are making conception much easier for many couples. The drugs are designed to induce the production of more eggs in the woman. Often, female infertility treatment drugs are used together with Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and In vitro fertilization.

In Intrauterine insemination (IUI), the sperm is separated from the semen fluid. The sperm is then placed into the uterus by using a small plastic catheter. This female infertility treatment method is usually painless. It is almost always combined with the use of fertility drugs. These drugs will help the body to produce more healthy and strong eggs. This increases the chance of a successful conception. The correct timing is essential and careful monitoring is carried out so that ovulation occurs at the time of the IUI procedure. This treatment has a good success rate.

In Vitro Fertilization is another common female infertility treatment. In this female infertility treatment, fertilization occurs in a lab. This female infertility treatment entails the removal of mature eggs from the female and is fertilized with sperm collected from the male. The fertilized embryo is then placed back into the uterus of the mother. It is a popular form of female infertility treatment.

Endometrial Biopsy

When a woman is diagnosed with infertility, the doctor will usually perform a procedure called an endometrial biopsy.

An endometrial biopsy is basically gathering of a sample of the uterine lining. It is performed by inserting a catheter through the woman’s cervix and into the uterus. The doctor will then test to see the response of the uterine lining to progesterone. Infertility can be caused by a hormonal imbalance, which is why endometrial biopsy and infertility go hand in hand. An endometrial biopsy is also performed to check for abnormal uterine bleeding, which is also a result hormone imbalance.

If you are advised to go for an endometrial biopsy, make sure to take ibuprofen before the procedure. It will help to alleviate some of the discomfort. Just remember that an endometrial biopsy is necessary to determine the cause of certain infertility situation and in some cases the infertility can be reversed.

If the endometrial biopsy detects that the infertility is caused by a hormonal imbalance, the doctor will usually prescribe progesterone to relieve the situation.

Author: Cindy Heller

Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit Male Infertility Solutions to learn more about infertility immune testing and infertility caused by obesity.

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If you have been trying to conceive a baby for months without any success, you are probably looking for helpful information in order to understand the different causes involved. One of them has something to do with mineral requirements. Let’s see how zinc can significantly increase male and female fertility.

Why do testicles need so much zinc?

Several studies have demonstrated that for each ejaculation, a man loses an average of 5 mg of zinc. That represents an important percentage of the daily use of zinc in all body’s metabolic functions. Sperm does need a huge amount of zinc! Why? Zinc plays a major role in strengthening the structure of DNA material. As a result, zinc has a positive effect on sperm production. Additionally, it helps improve semen quality. High level of zinc in sperm would boost male gametes ability to speed up once moving in the uterus.

Why do female eggs need zinc too?

Zinc helps not only with the growth of seminal secretion in men but also with the production of healthy gametes in women (often called eggs). Zinc plays another crucial role in synthesizing the hormones (such as oestrogens and progesterone) necessary to get and remain pregnant. It appears that Zinc is the only mineral involved in infertility.

Use and Precaution

If you and your mate decide to take a supplement of zinc, make sure not to take more than 100 mg (it will depress the immune system). I recommend you to take a dosage between 30 and 60 mg of zinc gluconate or zinc sulfate per day. It’s enough! The other option would be to add foods rich in zinc to your daily diet.

Conclusion

Zinc (often coupled with folic acid) supplements intake could be one of the many solutions possible to treat fertility issues. It can help to improve fertility and get pregnant fast.

In order to really increase chances for conception, a couple would have to change a few things in its lifestyle. If you are ready to strictly follow a very comprehensive plan to get pregnant within 4 months click the Getting Pregnant Plan now!

Author: Alexis Roger

Alexis Roger is a French biochemist who loves investigating and teaching. He has studied various fields of science such as pharmacology, physiology, endocrinology, chemistry, bacteriology, anatomy and botanic. He displays a great interest in international alternative medicine therapies.

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