Infertility Causes – Sex, Age & Lifestyle Factors
Symptoms of Infertility – Definitions
A couple is infertile when they are unable to have a baby after 12 months of regular and unprotected intercourse. Infertility is defined as the inability to reproduce.
One or both partners have varying emotional reactions when they are diagnosed as infertile. The news can be particularly hard on couples that are without children.
Infertility, in couples that have never had a child, is referred to as primary infertility.
On another note, secondary infertility refers to the condition where couples who already succeeded in having a baby are finding problems conceiving again.
Masculinity – The Male Element
Various factors, both emotional and physical, can lead to infertility.
Infertility cases in men, like low sperm count, retrograde ejaculation, scarring from sexually transmitted diseases, hormone deficiency, and impotence, make up approximately 30-40% of cases.
Frequent marijuana use and intake of prescription drugs like cimetidine, nitorfurantoin, and spironolactone may affected sperm count.
The Female Factor
Pelvic infection, scarring from STDs, endometriosis, ovulation dysfunction, fallopian tube abnormality, tumors, hormonal imbalances, and even poor nutrition are some of these “female factors.” These are the primary causes of 40 to 50 per cent of infertility cases.
Around 10 to 30% of infertility cases are attributed to risk factors from both male and female and other unknown causes.
It has been found that a small number, just 10 to 20%, of couples fail to conceive after trying for a year. It is essential for couples to keep trying to conceive for a year at the very least.
Factors Related To Age
Healthy partners both below 30 years of age having intercourse regularly only have a 25 to 30% probability every month to become pregnant. The peak of a woman’s fertility is in her 20s. Women above 35 years of age have a less than 10% chance of getting pregnant, and this declines as they get older.
More Non Age Related Causes
Age-related factors are not the only causes of infertility. The following are also considered major risks to infertility:
* Having more than one sexual partner (high STD risk)
* Sexually transmitted infections
* Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) history
* Orchitis or epididymitis history in males
* Mumps in males
* Varicocele in males
* Health history citing DES exposure (both sexes)
* Eating disorders in females
* Anovulation and irregular menstruation
* Endometriosis
* Problems with the uterus or the cervix
* Long-term disease like diabetes
Other Useful Information
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