Infertility, whether male or female, can be defined as 'the
inability of a couple to achieve conception or to bring a
pregnancy to term after a year or more of regular, unprotected
intercourse'.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately
8-10% of couples experience some form of infertility problem. On a
worldwide scale, this means that 50-80 million people suffer from
infertility. However, the incidence of infertility may vary from
region to region. In France, 18% of couples of childbearing age
said that they had difficulties in conceiving.
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My husband and I have an
active sex life, we are both healthy, and my periods are regular.
However, we have still not conceived?? Please help !
You need to remember that it's not possible to determine the
reason for your infertility until you undergo tests to find out if
your husband's sperm count is normal; if your fallopian tubes and
uterus are normal; and if you are producing eggs. Only after
undergoing these tests will your doctor be able to tell you why
you are not conceiving. While testing does cause considerable
anxiety, it's far better to intelligently identify the problem so
that we can look for the best solution.
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No. The incidence of infertility in men and women is almost
identical. Infertility is exclusively a female problem in 30-40%
of the cases and exclusively a male problem in 10-30% of the
cases. Problems common to both partners are diagnosed in 15-30% of
infertile couples. After thorough medical investigations, the
causes of the fertility problem remain unexplained in only a
minority of infertile couples (5-10%).
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Your fertile period is the time during which having sex could lead
to a pregnancy. This is the 4-6 days prior to ovulation ( release
of a mature egg from the ovary). Women normally ovulate 14 days
prior to the date of the next menstrual period. If you are
mathematically challenged, you can use this online ovulation
calendar.
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The most common causes of female infertility are ovulatory
disorders and anatomical abnormalities such as damaged fallopian
tubes. Less frequent causes include, for example, endometriosis
and hyperprolactinemia. Causes of male infertility can be divided
into three main categories: Sperm production disorders affecting
the quality and/or the quantity of sperm; anatomical obstructions;
Other factors such as immunological disorders. Approximately a
third of all cases of male infertility can be attributed to immune
or endocrine problems, as well as to a failure of the testes to
respond to the hormonal stimulation triggering sperm production.
However, in a great number of cases of male infertility due to
inadequate spermatogenesis (sperm production) or sperm defects,
the origin of the problem still remains unexplained.
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