| Infertility (also called sterility) is the inability to get pregnant after, at least, one year of attempts. A woman is not always to be blamed. In 30% of cases sterility is because of female factors. In another one third of cases, infertility is due to the man. The remaining 40% of cases are triggered by a combination of male and female factors or by unidentified factors.In most cases ovulation problems cause infertility in females. Without ovulation, there are no eggs to be fertilized. If a female menstruates irregularly or does not menstruate at all, she might have abnormal ovulation. Less common causes of reproduction problems in women include plugged salpinges due to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), endometriosis, or surgery for an ectopic pregnancy, physical problems with the uterus, uterine fibroids.A woman's ability to get pregnant can be affected by a great many things. They are age, nerve-wracking situations, unbalanced diet, athletic training, obesity or anorexia, heavy smoking, alcohol abuse and addiction to drugs, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), illnesses that result in hormonal changes.More and more women are waiting until their 30s and 40s to have children. In fact, around 20% of Americans nowadays have their first child after the age of 35. Hence, age is a very common cause of reproduction problems. About one third of couples where the female is over 35 have fertility problems.In males, hormonal imbalances, health problems, reproductive anatomy injury and obstruction, as well as sexual disorders can temporarily or permanently adversely impact upon fertility. The longer some disorders are untreated, the fewer chances of recovery are. Heavy smokers are reported to have a 13-17% lower sperm count than non-smokers. High alcohol intake can considerably lower the sperm count. Tight-fitting apparel and extended periods of sitting can cause a reduction in sperm count through undue heating of the testes. Marijuana, cocaine and anabolic steroids all lower the sperm count and badly influence motility.Both males and females need some form of assisted conception if pregnancy does not occur naturally. |
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