Interrupting Infertility
You’re not pregnant. Although you and your partner have been trying to get pregnant for months now. You could be struggling with infertility.
Infertility is defined as trying to conceive for a year or more and not being successful. In the United States, among married women aged 15 to 49 years with no prior births, about 1 in 5 (19 percent) are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying.
While advances have been made in pills, shots and in-vitro procedures used to treat infertility, doctors say the psychological trauma couples go through—the anger, frustration, grief, isolation and depression—needs much more attention. For a long time, infertility has been treated like a cultural taboo.
Society says getting pregnant should be effortless. Be fruitful and multiply is the adage. There can be so much shame around infertility. Growing up you told not to get pregnant. Then you get to an age where you want to grow your family and can’t.
When it comes to infertility, there is a lack of understanding, information and access. Many women cope in secrecy because they don’t know other women going through the same experience.
Infertility can happen for a number of reasons. Some risk factors you should be aware of and tell your doctor about are:
· Excessive or very low body fat.
· Frequent exposure to cigarette smoking or heavy alcohol consumption.
· Chronic diseases such as diabetes, arthritis or high blood pressure. Tell your doctor about prescription medicines you are taking.
· Hormonal imbalance, shown in irregular, unpredictable menstrual cycles, excessive facial hair and/or acne on face, chest or abdomen.
· Multiple miscarriages.
· History of sexually transmitted diseases.
· Previous abdominal surgery.
· Use of an IUD for contraception.
· Two or more abortions
· For men, exposure of genitals to elevated temperatures (hot baths, whirlpools, steam rooms).
· Hernia repair surgery.
Common causes of infertility include in women, impaired ovulation due to disease; birth defects or abnormal hormone production; blocked fallopian tubes from infection or scar tissue; inability of the uterus to hold the embryo; endometriosis. For men, low sperm count; high percentage of abnormally-shaped sperm; high percentage of sperm that doesn’t move forward; and ejaculation dysfunction.
Diagnostic infertility tests for women include blood tests to check hormone levels; an X-ray to determine if fallopian tubes are open; an endometrial biopsy; or laporoscopic surgery to check for endometriosis, adhesions or other problems. Diagnostic tests for men include semen analysis; postcoital test to evaluate sperm-cervical mucus interaction; or in rare cases, testicular biopsy.
Once a diagnosis has been confirmed, the next step may be in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Keep in mind this procedure can be expensive ($4,000 and up) and might require more than one cycle. Because of this, patients encourage the doctors to implant more than one embryo per treatment. Sometimes patients can miscarry the embryo or the implantation doesn’t take. It can be a grueling experience for couples who desperately want a child of their own.
Some coping tips to try include:
· Remember that feelings of anger, grief and frustration are normal. Don’t try to pretend everything is business as usual.
· Keep open lines of communication with your spouse and close friends. Try to keep them educated on everything you’re going through.
· Seek out support groups with other people who are going through similar experiences.
· Don’t blame yourself if fertility treatment doesn’t work. Try not to dwell on the short-term ups and downs of treatment.
· Spend time doing what you like to do best. Don’t allow infertility to take over your life.
· Focus on your relationship with your spouse. Begin family traditions that celebrate just the two of you.
For many people, the path to parenthood is long and bumpy, and because people don’t necessarily talk about it, you don’t realize how normal it is. Infertility is a disease and you wouldn’t blame yourself if you had asthma or arthritis.
