Both women and men are likely to experience infertility. Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system that millions worldwide can experience. According to WHO reports, approximately 48 million couples experience infertility worldwide.
Not everyone can accept and understand what infertility is. This misunderstanding often affects how the environment and the family perceive it. So, what is infertility? This condition does not just happen. There are several causes and risk factors that need to be controlled.
Definition of infertility
Someone is generally considered infertile if a couple cannot conceive after a year of trying. In addition, if a woman is over 35 years old, the infertility diagnosis is shorter, that is, when she fails to conceive after six months of trying. Ladies, infertility is not only a problem for women. Men can also experience fertility problems.
When a woman can never conceive, she is diagnosed with primary infertility. Meanwhile, if you have been pregnant once and managed to have children but can no longer do so, you will be diagnosed with secondary infertility. Infertility is not a condition where a person miscarries or gives birth, but the baby does not survive.
Causes of female interphilicity
Some women get pregnant quickly, and some find it difficult to conceive. Several factors can cause infertility in men and women, although health problems in the reproductive organs generally cause it. These are possible causes:
1. Ovulation Disorders
One of the diseases that interfere with ovulation is PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition in which women do not ovulate regularly or do not ovulate. Usually, PCOS is the most common cause of infertility in a woman. Ovulation disorders can also be caused by hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.
Ovulation disorders are one of the causes of infertility.
In addition, infertility can also be caused by hyperprolactinemia, a condition in which women get too much of the prolactin hormone, which stimulates milk production, inhibiting ovulation. Other causes can also be due to overtraining or eating disorders.
2. Abnormal uterus
Abnormalities that occur in the uterus or cervix, such as polyps. Women who experience uterine fibroids may experience infertility because the condition causes blockage of the fallopian tubes. In other words, the fertilized egg cannot successfully travel and attach to the uterine wall to grow.
3. Fallopian tube damage
Damage to the fallopian tubes can be caused by salpingitis, which can cause inflammation of the pelvic area. This inflammation is usually caused by a sexually transmitted disease, endometriosis, or adhesions. That is why it is essential to ask about the health status of sexual partners.
4. Early menopause
Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI), or early menopause, is a condition where the ovaries stop producing, and a woman does not menstruate by the age of fewer than 40 years. Often the cause of POI cannot be explained, but specific exposures can, such as chemotherapy and pelvic radiation therapy.
5. Other causes
Infertility can be caused by endometriosis, where uterine tissue grows outside the uterus. Furthermore, due to adhesions in the pelvis, namely when there is the tissue that binds organs after inflammation or infection. Finally, infertility can also be caused by cancer, especially cancer involving the reproductive organs, the effects of radiation, and chemotherapy.
Risk factors
Many risk factors can cause a woman to experience infertility. Still, these risk factors must be controlled by lifestyle changes. Some points that can cause infertility include:
- Age, the older you get, fertility will decrease. Infertility in older women is caused by fewer eggs being produced, but it can also be due to other health problems.
- Smoking or using addictive substances can reduce women's chances of getting pregnant and having children. Smoking is also known to cause miscarriage.
- Consuming alcohol is unsafe for women trying to conceive or during pregnancy.
- Overweight or underweight and minimal exercise or overtraining.
Smoking increases the risk of infertility.
Those are some of the things related to infertility that you should know. Ladies, being diagnosed with infertility doesn't mean your chance of having children is over. There are many other options, such as the IVF program. If you experience some of the above conditions, consult a doctor for advice. You can also take advantage of the services offered by Fitie!
References:
CDC. (2022). Infertility: Frequently Asked Question. [Online] https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/infertility/index.htm
Healthline. (2019). Everything You Need to Know About Infertility. [Online] https://www.healthline.com/health/infertility#female-causes
Mayoclinic. (2021). Overview: Infertility. [Online] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/infertility/symptoms-causes/syc-20354317
World Health Organization. (2020). Infertility. [Online] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/infertility