Infertility

Infertility, in mammalogy, is the inability of male mammal to impregnate a fertile female of the same species, or the inability of a female mammal to conceive or carry a fetus to birth. In zoology or botany, infertility is the inability of an animal or plant to reproduce. In soil science, soil infertility is inadequate soil fertility.

Quotes

  • Infertility is defined as the failure to achieve pregnancy after 12 months of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Approximately 85% of infertile couples have an identifiable cause. The most common causes of infertility are ovulatory dysfunction, male factor infertility, and tubal disease. The remaining 15% of infertile couples have “unexplained infertility.” Lifestyle and environmental factors, such as smoking and obesity, can adversely affect fertility. Ovulatory disorders account for approximately 25% of infertility diagnoses; 70% of women with anovulation have polycystic ovary syndrome. Infertility can also be a marker of an underlying chronic disease associated with infertility. Clomiphene citrate, aromatase inhibitors such as letrozole, and gonadotropins are used to induce ovulation or for ovarian stimulation during in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. Adverse effects of gonadotropins include multiple pregnancy (up to 36% of cycles, depending on specific therapy) and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (1%-5% of cycles), consisting of ascites, electrolyte imbalance, and hypercoagulability. For individuals presenting with anovulation, ovulation induction with timed intercourse is often the appropriate initial treatment choice. For couples with unexplained infertility, endometriosis, or mild male factor infertility, an initial 3 to 4 cycles of ovarian stimulation may be pursued; IVF should be considered if these approaches do not result in pregnancy. Because female fecundity declines with age, this factor should guide decision-making. Immediate IVF may be considered as a first-line treatment strategy in women older than 38 to 40 years. IVF is also indicated in cases of severe male factor infertility or untreated bilateral tubal factor.
  • I had a good family doctor. But I don’t think we ever discussed fertility until I told her that I was ready to start a family. Eighteen months after that conversation, I was standing in a fertility clinic listening to a fertility specialist tell me that my hormone levels were borderline menopausal and my ovaries didn’t have many eggs left. I was shocked. I was only thirty-four. The doctor explained that twenty percent of women my age were infertile, making it hard or impossible to get pregnant.
    As I learned the facts about infertility, I was baffled that every girl and woman would not be equipped early in life with information on how to reduce the risks of this happening to them. I began to see infertility as an epidemic that no one was talking about.
  • There are certain conditions that warrant seeing a doctor sooner:
    • Periods at three week (or less) intervals.
    • No periods for more than three months.
    * Irregular periods
    • A history of pelvic infection.
    • Two or more miscarriages.
    * Women over the age of 35 — time is now at a premium!
    * Men who have had prostate infections.
    • Men whose testes are not felt in the scrotum

See also

This article is issued from Wikiquote. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.