• Primary infertility means they have never had a child.
• Secondary infertility means that the infertile person has had one or more children in the past, but a medical problem is impairing fertility.
Many people may be infertile during their reproductive years. They may be unaware of this because they are not seeking to create a pregnancy. On any one occasion, the chance of pregnancy is just one percent.
About one in seven couples, Age, lifestyle and physical problems can all contribute to infertility.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT INFERTILITYHOW OFTEN ARE MALE FACTORS INVOLVED?
About one-third of cases of infertility are caused by male factors alone. A combination of male and female factors causes about one-third of cases.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF INFERTILITY?
Infertility can be caused by poor sexual or lifestyle habits that are easily remedied. For example, the couple may be using a sexual lubricant that interferes with the survival of the man's sperm. Or, they may not be having sex often enough. Other easily treated illnesses or lifestyle habits that may contribute to infertility are:
• Heavy use of alcohol, tobacco or drugs.
• Starvation diets or anorexia in the woman.
• Tight underwear or pants in the man, which raises the crotch temperature and reduces sperm count.
• Stress. In a woman, this may cause her periods to be irregular. In a man, stress may reduce his sperm count.
Changing the timing of sex and the couple's sexual techniques may also increase the chance of pregnancy. Sometimes the semen from the man fails to reach the woman's cervix. Placing a pillow under the woman's hips after intercourse may help prevent spillage of semen.
WHEN SHOULD I SEE A DOCTOR?
Though there is no specific time frame as to when to consult your doctor but you can see your doctor if the pregnancy does not take place even after one year of unprotected intercourse.
HOW IS INFERTILITY EVALUATED?
Your doctor will obtain your medical history, examine you and test your semen at least twice. A semen analysis can tell your doctor about your sperm count and sperm quality. These are important parts of fertility.
IS MALE INFERTILITY TREATABLE?
More than one-half of cases of male infertility can be corrected. Treatment may help a couple get pregnant through normal sexual intercourse.
About one-third of cases of infertility are caused by male factors alone. A combination of male and female factors causes about one-third of cases.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF INFERTILITY?
Infertility can be caused by poor sexual or lifestyle habits that are easily remedied. For example, the couple may be using a sexual lubricant that interferes with the survival of the man's sperm. Or, they may not be having sex often enough. Other easily treated illnesses or lifestyle habits that may contribute to infertility are:
• Heavy use of alcohol, tobacco or drugs.
• Starvation diets or anorexia in the woman.
• Tight underwear or pants in the man, which raises the crotch temperature and reduces sperm count.
• Stress. In a woman, this may cause her periods to be irregular. In a man, stress may reduce his sperm count.
Changing the timing of sex and the couple's sexual techniques may also increase the chance of pregnancy. Sometimes the semen from the man fails to reach the woman's cervix. Placing a pillow under the woman's hips after intercourse may help prevent spillage of semen.
WHEN SHOULD I SEE A DOCTOR?
Though there is no specific time frame as to when to consult your doctor but you can see your doctor if the pregnancy does not take place even after one year of unprotected intercourse.
HOW IS INFERTILITY EVALUATED?
Your doctor will obtain your medical history, examine you and test your semen at least twice. A semen analysis can tell your doctor about your sperm count and sperm quality. These are important parts of fertility.
IS MALE INFERTILITY TREATABLE?
More than one-half of cases of male infertility can be corrected. Treatment may help a couple get pregnant through normal sexual intercourse.
REPRODUCTION IN A WOMEN
Five important hormones stimulate the reproductive system of a woman :
Here is how the hormones work :
The hypothalmus, a region in the brain, first releases a hormone called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).• GnRH causes the pituitary gland to produce two more hormones--luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone.• These hormones, in turn, tell the ovaries to release estrogen and progesterone.
- gonadotropin-releasing hormone
- luteinizing hormone
- follicle stimulating hormone
- estrogen
Here is how the hormones work :
The hypothalmus, a region in the brain, first releases a hormone called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).• GnRH causes the pituitary gland to produce two more hormones--luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone.• These hormones, in turn, tell the ovaries to release estrogen and progesterone.
HOW HORMONES REGULATES A WOMANS FERTILITY
- Over a two-week period in a woman's monthly cycle, FSH causes several follicles in the ovaries to ripen and mature.
- FSH also orders the ovaries to produce estrogen, which in turn, launches the manufacture of large amounts of LH hormone.
- LH hormone stimulates the release of an egg from the largest follicle into the fallopian tubes - a process called ovulation.
- LH hormone also stimulates the follicle to produce corpeus luteum - a collection of yellow tissue that manufactures progesterone.
- Progesterone and estrogen work together to thicken and prepare the lining of the uterus for a fertilized egg.
- Together, these hormones swell the lining of the uterus with blood, making it easier for a fertilized egg to implant itself there.
THE UNFERTILIZED EGG If the egg is not penetrated by sperm, it lives for 12 to 24 hours. The egg and the bloody lining of the uterus then slough off, traveling out of the uterus, the cervix and vagina - a process called the woman's menstrual period.
HOW THE EGG IS FERTILIZED
An egg is usually fertilized by sperm within the fallopian tubes - but only if the woman has sex with a
Sperm can survive for six days after entering a woman's vagina and can fertilize the egg at any time during this period. However, research shows that fertilization is most likely to occur two days before or on the day the egg is released. The fertilized egg then moves on to the uterus, where it implants and grows into an embryo, and pregnancy results.
man around the time the egg is released. The sperm must penetrate the egg to fertilize it.
REPRODUCTION IN A MANMen have four primary hormones involved in reproduction. They are:
- gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).
- follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)
- luteinizing hormone (LH).
- testosterone
- In a man, the brain's hypothalmus first releases gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).
- GnRH stimulates the pituitary gland to produce two hormones - follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).
- These hormones regulate the production of sperm and the release of the male hormone testosterone, all of which takes place in the male testes, located in the scrotal sac.
THE PRODUCTION OF SPERM
Sperm begin life in the testes in cells called Sertoli cells.
HOW A SPERM FERTILIZES THE EGG
- At the beginning of a sperm's life cycle, hormones develop its head and tail.
- The sperm then escapes from the Sertoli cell into the epididymis, located behind the testes.
- For three weeks, a sperm travels through the epididymis in an energizing fluid containing fructose.
- As the sperm swims through this fluid, it matures and acquires the ability to swim and move back and forth.
- A mature sperm has a head that contains the man's DNA - his genetic material - and a tail that rapidly moves from side to side, propelling it forward.
HOW A SPERM FERTILIZES THE EGG
After it bores through the cervical mucous, the sperm trigger the acrosome (a special membrane located on their heads), and it dissolves and releases special enzymes. These enzymes allow the sperm to penetrate the tough coating surrounding the egg in the fallopian tubes. Only one sperm ultimately fertilizes the woman's egg.