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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT INFERTILITY

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT INFERTILITY

National Infertility Awareness Week April 21 - April 27, 2019

 

About Infertility

Infertility is defined as a couple failing to become pregnant after 1 year of attempting every month or a woman becoming pregnant but not having the ability to maintain pregnancy to child birth. In women 35 or older, infertility is defined as attempting to become pregnant for 6 months without success.

Who Does Infertility Affect?

What Causes the Disparity in Infertility?

There are multiple reasons:

What Causes Infertility?

In Men:

In Women:

What Puts You at Risk for Infertility?

Women:  bacterial vaginosis, endometritis, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), abscess of tube-ovarian complex (TOA), obesity and induced abortion (IAB), increased age of the mother (above 35), smoking and alcohol abuse, high caffeine consumption, high levels of stress, abnormally low weight, history of sexually transmitted diseases such as Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, and a history of polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Men: inflammation of the prostate, cystic fibrosis, premature ejaculation or sexual dysfunction, and enlarged testicular veins.

What Can You Do to Improve Fertility?

When Should I Involve My Doctor and What Can They Do to Help?

Common Initial Tests

 

Remember, if you and your partner are experiencing difficulty conceiving, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!      Talk with a health professional.  Additionally, you may consider joining a support group. Infertility is more common than you realize, but often couples are silent about what they are going through. 

I have gone through the infertility battle myself.  At age 26, I was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure / premature menopause.    I was told that there was less than a 3% chance that I would ever ovulate.  My husband and I went through IVF with donor eggs.  However, the IVF failed.  Four years after failed IVF, we conceived spontaneously (our daughter)!  Several months after she was born, we conceived spontaneously again (our son)!  These are my miracle children and true gifts from God.  As I tell my patients, “We are doctors, but we don’t know everything.  God is the doctor that knows all.”

Author
Kirstie Cunningham, MD, FACOG President, Metro Health and Wellness, LLC

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