What is Infertility?
Most experts define infertility as not being able to get pregnant after at least one year of trying. Women who are able to get pregnant but then have repeat miscarriages are also said to be infertile. While Merriam Webster Medical Dictionary defines infertility not fertile; especially : incapable of or unsuccessful in achieving pregnancy over a considerable period of time (as a year) in spite of determined attempts by heterosexual intercourse without contraception (infertile couples ; an infertile male with a low sperm count ; an infertile female with blocked fallopian tubes).
Infertility is the inability to conceive, or to carry a pregnancy to term. For women under 35, infertility is diagnosed after a year of unprotected intercourse. For women 35 years of age or older, this time length is shortened to 6 months. We prefer the opportunity to be proactive in light of the natural decline in pregnancy rates with the aging egg. Couples who have known fertility issues, such as anovulation/irregular periods, PCOS, male factor, endometriosis, should seek a fertility consultation at the time that they are planning to start a family.
Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system, which results in a couple’s inability to reproduce a child. Usually, a couple is considered to be infertile when they have been unsuccessful in getting pregnant after a year of unprotected intercourse. There are many factors that may play a role in infertility – ovulation disorder, blocked fallopian tubes, endometriosis, cervical mucus defects, the sperm’s inability to fertilize an egg due to low count or morphology, uterine scar tissue, vaginal and uterine cysts to name a few. Sometimes a simple surgical procedure can be preformed to help correct the diagnosis.
• Infertility is a complex issue. Doctors say that a couple is experiencing infertility if the woman in a couple is 33 years old or younger and has been unable to become pregnant after a year of trying. Or, if the woman is older than 33, after six months of trying. • Infertility is a couple’s issue.
