Infertility
Introduction
Infertility is the lack of ability to conceive and have offspring. In essence, infertility is categorized into two groups. These classifications are primary and secondary infertility. First, primary infertility is the situation in which couples have not become pregnant despite having unprotected sex. On the other hand, secondary infertility refers to a situation whereby couples who have been pregnancy once, are unable to conceive again. Infertility can be attributed to a single cause in male, female or a combination of factors that prevent pregnancy.
The major symptom of infertility is the inability of the couple to get pregnant (Seli, 2011). In addition, clinical symptoms depend on the causes of infertility. Infertility symptoms in women include abnormal, irregular and painful periods. For example, women experience heavier or lighter bleeding than usual. Nonetheless, female infertility is related to hormonal problems. Therefore, clinical presentations are skin changes, loss of hair and weight gain. Further, women report white discharges from their nipples unrelated to breastfeeding and pain when having sexual intercourse.
On the hand, symptoms of infertility in men remain unnoticed until he tries to get a baby. Moreover, symptoms of infertility in men depend on what is causing infertility. They include changes in hair growth, sexual desire, pain lump and swelling in the testicles. In addition, infertile men have difficulties with erections and ejaculation.
Causes of infertility
First, infertility in men is caused by a problem called varicocele. In essence, the man’s testicles are too large, and the heat affects the number and shape of the sperm. Secondly, abnormal movement of the sperm causes infertility. In addition, there are some factors that affect a man to produce too few or no sperms at all. Infertility problem in men can be inborn, caused by illness or injury (Glantz, 2010). Several factors increase risks of infertility in men. They include heavy alcohol use, drugs, environmental toxins, smoking, old age and radiation treatment.
Moreover, most cases of female infertility are caused by changes in the ovulation cycle. First, ovulation problems are caused by polycystic ovarian syndrome, which is a hormonal imbalance problem. Further, it is rated as the common cause of female infertility because it interferes with normal ovulation. Secondly, primary ovarian insufficiency causes early menopause at the age of forty years. Other causes of fertility problems in women are blocked fallopian tube due pelvic inflammatory disease, physical problems with the uterus and uterine fibroids. On the other hand, there are factors that increase risks of women infertility. They include age, stress, poor diet, excess alcohol, smoking, weight and sexually transmitted infections. For example, old age reduces the ability of ovaries to release eggs.
Diagnosis
The common tests of fertility in women are hysterosalpingography and laparoscopy. Hysterosalpingography refers to the X-ray of the uterus and Fallopian tubes. X-rays detect physical blocks that cause infertility. On the other hand, laparoscopy is a minor surgery performed to examine the ovaries, fallopian tubes and the uterus.
Treatment
Infertility can be treated using medicine, through surgery, and assisted reproductive technology. Mostly, physicians recommend particular treatments for infertility based on the test results, age and the choice of the partners. There are different ways of treating infertility in men. First, sexual problems are treated by use of behavioral therapy and medicines. In cases of too few sperm, doctors surgically remove the sperm from the reproductive tract. In addition, antibiotics clear infections affecting the sperm count (Seli, 2011). In addition, surgery corrects the problem of sperm movement in the man’s reproductive system.
In women, some common drugs are used to treat infertility. First, clomiphene citrate causes ovulation by acting on the pituitary gland. Most often, it is recommended for women who are suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome. Secondly, human menopausal gonadotropins act directly on the ovaries to stimulate ovulation. Thirdly, gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog are recommended for women with irregular menstrual cycle. They act in the pituitary gland to reverse when the body ovulates. Women who have insulin resistance use Metformin drugs. In essence, they lower the high levels of male hormones in women with insulin resistance. In addition, bromocriptine is the best medicine to high levels of prolactin. However, fertility drugs increase chances of a woman having twins, triplets and other multiples.
Emotional aspects of infertility
Being a parent is one of the fundamental transitions for both men and women. Infertility is associated with emotional aspects such anger, depression, marital problems and feelings of worthlessness (Glantz, 2010). In addition, marital discord develops among infertile couples because of the pressure to make medical decisions. As a result, couples experience stigma, sense of loss and diminished self-esteem. In many couples, women show high of distress than their husbands. For example, women trying to conceive experience the same levels of depression as women who have heart disease. Nonetheless, emotional stress and marital difficulties are high couples where the man is infertile.
Conclusion
Emotional effects of infertility can be devastating. The major factors that contribute to infertility are stress, smoking, excessive alcohol and sexually transmitted. Further, they reduce the ability to release eggs in women. Therefore, it is imperative to minimize exposure to the predisposing factors.
References
Glantz, B. (2010). Male and female infertility: Genetic causes, hormonal treatments, and health effects. New York: Nova Science.
Seli, E. (2011). Infertility. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
