After struggling for years trying to get pregnant, I began
to adopt the idea that infertility meant I was broken. I had had some anatomy
classes in college, and I understood how all the pieces fit together in the reproductive
puzzle, but a piece was missing. It was not until I understood what being "infertile"
meant. Infertility is not an inconvenience, it is an actual disease affecting
the reproductive system of the human body. It impairs the body's ability to
perform the basic function of reproduction. Medically speaking, infertility is
the inability to naturally conceive, with unprotected, well-timed intercourse
within twelve months if you are under the age of 35, six months if you are over
35 (gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "trying to have a baby,"
doesn't it). It also, to some extent, encompasses those who are not able to
sustain a pregnancy and experience recurrent pregnancy loss. Naturally
speaking, it means you have tried for a year doing everything you knew how ("not
stressing," filling in charts, taking temperatures, peeing on ovulation
predictor sticks) without the assistance of a doctor to get pregnant all while
trying to keep the "spark" in your marriage flickering. Believe it or
not, most healthy couples can take up to one year before conception occurs and
this is completely normal.
According to the National
Survey of Family Growth (2002), 7.3
million women and their partners are affected by infertility at some point in
their lives; about 12% of the reproductive-age population. Infertility does not
just affect women. Men contribute to about one-third of infertility cases, with
one-third being the woman and the other being both together or the cause cannot
be explained.
Like every other women, I tried to figure out what I did
wrong. I needed to evaluate how I contracted this "disease" and rid
my body of it forever. I later learned there are a lot of outside sources that
can contribute to infertility, and changing your lifestyle can help, but a
majority of the cases, like mine, cannot be corrected by simply changing your
diet. Often there are not signs or symptoms to look out for. You can grasp a
better understanding of your body by listening to it. Getting regular check-ups
may help to detect something early on that time may damage. With infertility, the sooner the better.
The American Society of
Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) sums up the most common types of infertility
in men and women. " The most common male infertility factors include
azoospermia (no sperm cells are produced) and oligospermia (few sperm cells are
produced). Sometimes, sperm cells are malformed or they die before they can
reach the egg. In rare cases, infertility in men is caused by a genetic disease
such as cystic fibrosis or a chromosomal abnormality. The most common female
infertility factor is an ovulation disorder. Other causes of female infertility
include blocked fallopian tubes, which can occur when a woman has had pelvic
inflammatory disease or endometriosis (a sometimes painful condition causing
adhesions and cysts). Congenital anomalies (birth defects) involving the structure
of the uterus and uterine fibroids are associated with repeated miscarriages."
Infertility treatment involves several diagnostic
tests, for both women and men. Men will complete a semen analysis to determine the
sperm count, sperm motility, sperm shape, and quantity. Women have a laundry list
of tests to complete. This can include, but not be limited to, a physical examination
(pap smear, testing for infection), an ovulation evaluation (Basal Body
Temperature, ovulation prediction), hormone testing (i.e. Follicle Stimulating Hormone,
Estradiol, Progesterone, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone), ultrasounds, and x-rays
(hysterosalpingogram). When trying to have a baby, only getting one attempt in
a matter of about thirty days makes it difficult and time consuming. This also prolongs
discovering the root cause of infertility since there are only certain days of
the woman's cycle these tests can be completed.
Once diagnostics are finished you can usually begin treatment.
Depending on your results, you can do Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) or In-Vitro
Fertilization (IVF). But, to better understand how the treatment works, you
need to have a better understanding of how your body, and your partner's body,
work.
