Fertility Awareness, Common Fertility Problems and Treatments

Fertility is the natural capability of both men and women to reproduce and create a new life. This capability of human being depends on several factors which include sexual behavior, endocrinology, economics, emotions, way of life, timing, instinct, culture and nutrition.

Because the natural capability of humans to give life is based on several factors, there are now a lot of couples who follow several methods in order for a get pregnant. One of these methods is called fertility awareness. This method is actually a collection of means using the body’s normal and natural functions in order to determine the time that a woman is most likely to conceive a child.

Fertility: Fertility Awareness and its Natural Birth Control Method

One of the major problems that the world is facing is overpopulation. Because of this, medical professionals have come up with ways in order to prevent this from further happening.

Fertility awareness, also commonly known as Natural Family Planning, is a natural birth control method, meaning that there are no devices or drugs used. The Natural Family Planning method makes use of a combination of the cervical basal mucus method, the basal body temperature method, and the rhythm or calendar method. However, this method is not only used as prevention means from conceiving a child; it is also used to target the best time for a woman to get pregnant.

Fertility: Common Fertility Problems or Infertility

While there are a huge number of people who are not suffering from fertility issues, there are still a lot of individuals, both men and women, who are experiencing infertility. Infertility is a medical condition wherein a man or a woman will not be able to conceive a child after a year of trying.

In women who are aged 35 or above, infertility occurs if they have tried conceiving a child for 6 months. There are some cases wherein infertility may happen in women who have the ability to get pregnant but are not able to keep their child. In fact, this medical condition is one of the most common problems that both men and women suffer from.

Fertility in Women: Common Causes of Infertility in Women

Infertility in women can be caused by several factors. These factors include endometriosis, ovulation problems, poor egg quality, polycystic ovarian syndrome, blocked fallopian tubes, sperm allergy, unexplained fertility problems and a combination of these problems.

Endometriosis is a medical condition in women that occurs when the endometrial tissue (tissue found within the lining of the uterus) grows outside of the uterus. This usually occurs within the abdominal-pelvic cavity. Ovulation problems are usually associated with hormonal issues which prevent the ovaries from releasing a mature egg.

The polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a medical condition that occurs when the small follicles found in the ovaries cannot develop into mature and larger follicles. When a woman has damaged or blocked fallopian tubes, the sperm of her partner will not be able to get into the egg, and thus; a mature or fertilized egg will not be able to get into the uterus. Sperm allergy is a condition wherein a woman will produce antibodies that will kill the sperm cells entering her body. Unexplained fertility problems, as suggested by its name, are unexplained infertility issues that cannot be pinpointed.

Fertility in Men: Common Causes of Infertility in Men

Men can also experience problems with their fertility and these may be caused by one or more factors including blockages, varicocele, irregular sperm, sperm allergy, unexplained infertility problems and a combination of these infertility issues.

Men can experience having a blocked ejaculatory duct that will result in the prevention of the sperm from getting into the ejaculate fluid, thus; it will not get into the egg of their partner. Varicocele or enlarged veins in the scrotum will result in the increase of the temperature in the testes. When this happens, it may affect the production of sperm.

Irregular sperm occurs when a man has a poor sperm mobility (ability of the sperm to move), abnormally shaped sperm or if a man has a low level of sperm count. Sperm allergy in men is similar to sperm allergy in women where their bodies may produce antibodies which would kill their own sperm. This usually occurs after an infection, a trauma, a testicular torsion, or vasectomy.

Unexplained infertility problems in men, as implied by its name, are caused by unknown reasons. However, medical experts believe that environmental toxins play a major role in this type of infertility problems in men.

Fertility in Both Men and Women: Fertility Treatment Options

There are several fertility treatment options that men and women suffering from infertility can undergo. These treatments include drugs, surgery, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, and gamete intrafallopian transfer.

Drugs such as gonadotropins and clomiphene will regulate the reproductive hormones that will help trigger the release of eggs in an ovulation cycle. Surgery can also be used to remove endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and fibroids. This method can also fix blocked or damaged fallopian tubes and other genetic defects.

Artificial insemination is another fertility treatment wherein a dose of concentrated sperm is injected into the uterus of a woman through the use of a catheter. In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is a method wherein the eggs are removed from a woman’s ovaries and these eggs are then fertilized in a medical laboratory together with a sperm.

Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) is a process wherein the eggs are combined with sperm in a medical laboratory. The mixture will then be injected surgically directly into the fallopian tubes so that the fertilization process will occur naturally inside a woman’s body.