Identifying Causes of Infertility
Traditionally, people are hesitant to talk openly about infertility. However, the condition is way more common than society realizes. Many individuals are surprised to find that male infertility can also be an issue. Yet, research shows that the true breakdown of heterosexual infertility cases in the US assigns a third solely due to female infertility, another third to men, and the final third as a combination between both. A variety of underlying factors can delay conception, including unexplained fertility. Here are a few of the most common causes.
What is male infertility?
Even though pop culture is hyperfocused on women within the fertility conversation, men are also an important factor. Common issues like poor sperm quality will directly impact conception. Specifically, low sperm count, low motility, or chromosomal abnormalities due to substance use, smoking, or even alcohol consumption can all influence how easily a couple can conceive. In severe cases, fertility specialists might recommend using donor sperm.
Male-focused Fertility Treatments
However, certain fertility treatments can overcome common concerns around sperm motility. For example, intrauterine insemination (IUI) can inject sperm directly into the uterus. Likewise, gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) and zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) are procedures that premix egg and sperm externally in a lab and then insert the mixture directly into the fallopian tubes to minimize failure risks from slow-moving sperm.
Don't ignore egg quality
Egg quality is a major issue for women and is most often influenced by age, lifestyle, and underlying health conditions. Also related is the ability of a woman to accurately track ovulation. Factors such as irregular periods, poor egg quality due to age, or low ovarian reserve can all influence conception odds. Fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF) can provide workarounds. IVF works to boost ovulation through hormone stimulation and leverages external egg fertilization in an optimized lab environment to improve conception odds. The procedure is the most successful assisted reproductive technology (ART) method and also offers variations to manage couple-specific concerns.
Secondary infertility
Most people think of infertility and picture a woman or couple who is never able to naturally conceive or have children. However, secondary infertility defies that image. With this condition, a woman or couple who previously conceived (whether naturally or with ART treatments) is unable to naturally achieve pregnancy a second time. Sometimes age is the main culprit, and again can be because of either member of the couple.
Underlying health issues
Sometimes, previous health conditions can lead to infertility. The phenomenon is common in people who have survived cancer. Treatments like chemotherapy are known to cause sterility. To be clear, having cancer doesn't mean a woman can't carry a pregnancy to term, only that naturally conceiving may be difficult. In younger cancer patients, oncologists may recommend freezing eggs or taking a semen sample to preserve fertility later on. For these individuals, fertility treatments are usually the best option for starting a family.
Infertility isn't the final word
Discovering infertility can be a hard reality to accept, but the diagnosis doesn't mean that a woman or couple can't conceive. Thanks to innovations within the ART world, starting or expanding a family is still possible. Individuals concerned about infertility may be delaying family planning goals and should consider speaking with a fertility specialist.
