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By Sarah Abedin
The definition of infertility is the failure to conceive after regular unprotected sex for 2 years.
Of 100 couples trying to conceive naturally:20 will have conceived after 1 month70 after 6 months85 after 1 year90 after 18 months95 after 2 years
Simple things that can affect your fertility:• Increasing age: women in early 20s have double the chances of getting pregnant than women in their late 30s, but that’s no reason to stop trying- I’m sure your fella won’t complain!• Smoking, and even passive smoking, can affect your ability to conceive, so it’s a good opportunity to get your partner to quit too.• Stress can disrupt your periods, and give you the sex drive of a hibernating tortoise, so relax with some chilled out music, and make sure you get your beauty sleep.• Being overweight – a Body Mass Index (weight in kg/ height in metres squared) of over 29 reduces your fertility. Doing regular exercise lifts your mood, helps you sleep and relieves stress, but you don’t have to fork out for a gym membership- doing yoga at home or going for walks is just as good. Eating a healthy diet also gives you lots of energy, and will help give your baby what it needs when you get pregnant.• Being underweight- a BMI of less than 19 can cause irregular periods or stop them altogether, so putting on a few pounds will help you conceive. If you have problems gaining weight see your GP- if there’s no medical reason for it he/she can give you advice or refer you to a dietician.• Exposure at work to chemicals (e.g. in paints or pesticides) can affect fertility, but the use of some of them is being phased out as the dangers come to light, and on the whole the risk of them affecting fertility is low.
Medical factors affecting fertility in women:• early menopause• thyroid disease can affect periods and fertility• diabetes• epilepsy and the medication for it• endometriosis (uterine tissue found outside the uterus- symptoms include severe pain before your period, and deep pain when having sex)• fibroids (benign growths in the uterus)• previous ectopic pregnancy (when an embryo implants in a fallopian tube, it requires emergency surgery)• previous pelvic surgery (e.g. for appendicitis)• pelvic inflammatory disease (usually cause by Chlamydia, the infection spreads from vagina to uterus)• chemotherapy• radiotherapy to reproductive organs• polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)• adhesions (criss-crossing bands of tissue) in the uterus can stop periods• some medications can affect fertility, as can marijuana and cocaine, so see your GP if you are worried
If you are having problems conceiving always see your GP, even if it's just for reassurance that everything is OK.
Related links:www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Infertility/Pages/Introductionwww.bbc.co.uk/health/fertilitywww.fertilityfriends.co.ukwww.infertilitynetworkuk.com
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sexymom says
RE: Understanding fertility and infertility in women
One other drug you should stop smoking is marijuana because its cannabinoids cause sperm to get hyperactivated too early. Hyperactivation is the signal to swim very hard so the sperm cell can push through the egg cell’s membrane. But when sperm are hyperactivated too early, they will be too tired to fertilize an egg. Marijuana is also known to cause low semen volume, which means fewer sperm can reach the egg during intercourse. Two other recreational drugs you should avoid are cocaine and anabolic steroids. Studies show that even infrequent cocaine users experience lower sperm counts, poor sperm motility, and abnormal morphology. Anabolic steroids, which are used to improve athletic performance and build muscle mass, suppress the body’s ability to produce testosterone. This results in azoospermia or very low sperm count.
One other drug you should stop smoking is marijuana because its cannabinoids cause sperm to get hyperactivated too early. Hyperactivation is the signal to swim very hard so the sperm cell can push through the egg cell’s membrane. But when sperm are hyperactivated too early, they will be too tired to fertilize an egg. Marijuana is also known to cause low semen volume, which means fewer sperm can reach the egg during intercourse.
Two other recreational drugs you should avoid are cocaine and anabolic steroids. Studies show that even infrequent cocaine users experience lower sperm counts, poor sperm motility, and abnormal morphology. Anabolic steroids, which are used to improve athletic performance and build muscle mass, suppress the body’s ability to produce testosterone. This results in azoospermia or very low sperm count.
06 May 2010 08:34
ceannaP says
For those couples who are having difficulties in having their own baby, some would decide to surrogate. It's about darn time that Washington State changed the surrogacy laws on the books and permits people to be compensated for it. You shouldn't get paid for surrogacy? According to whom? I think a nice fat check is the minimum that could be done. Considering the risk that pregnancy carries (hemorrhage while in delivery, ectopic pregnancy, not to mention the back aches, swollen ankles, and hormonal swings, etc) denying compensation to surrogates is ridiculous – and Washington State can certainly afford to spare a few payday advances worth out of the WSU and UW sports budgets to help these people out.
06 April 2010 09:10
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