Dealing with infertility
Published:Monday | May 13, 2013 | 12:00 AM
Latoya Grindley, Staff Reporter
For many women, the ultimate achievement in life is to have a child. And when the reality of not being able to hits home, it is likely to be one of the most frustrating and depressing episodes a woman and sometimes by extension her partner, will go through in their lives.
Infertility in women speaks to the inability of a woman to carry a pregnancy to full term or to conceive after a prolonged period of having sex without any form of contraception.
With majority of these cases linked to biological causes, there are medical interventions that can be used to treat the varying conditions.
According to gynaecologist Dr Judith Dallas, infertility in women is not uncommon, and there are some primary causes.
While most of these causes can be treated over time, she explains that it's imperative to note that men can sometimes be the reason a woman cannot conceive. This is contrary to the popular belief and blame-game theory which always points to the woman as the main reason a couple is unable to conceive.
"Men can contribute to about a third of the reasons women are not being able to get pregnant. And one reason could be that they have a low sperm count."
Other causes include:
Tubal Problems/Blockage
Blocked fallopian tubes result in the sperm not being able to get to the egg, preventing the fertilisation process. This can be due to previous sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia and pelvic inflammatory disease.
Dallas notes that the tubes can be surgically repaired. However, it is not considered to be highly effective, with a very low success rate. An alternative option she recommends is in vitro fertilisation (IVF). While this procedure can be utilised by older women, the doctor explains that younger women stand a better chance of the procedure being successful, as they have more and healthier eggs.
Ovulatory Problems
This is linked to hormonal imbalance and more common in women who are overweight. Some common symptoms or signs are excess male hormones which would result in extra body hair and irregular period.
This can be treated with the use of medication, including ovulation induction, which is the use of fertility pills.
Endometriosis
This also affects the tubes by producing scar tissues around the fallopian tubes, causing tubal blockage.
Symptoms include, but are not limited to, painful periods, chronic pain in the lower abdomen and heavy periods.
While there are women who have been or are likely to be diagnosed with one of these conditions, Dallas highlighted that there are many cases that go unexplained.
"There are the unexplained ones where we can't find out what is the cause as the investigations come out quite normal."
In instances such as those, patients are encouraged to continue trying or to consider IVF as an option.
A practitioner since 1985, Dr Dallas said that there has certainly been an increase in women having ovulatory concerns. This, she said, is linked to women delaying having a child.
"There are more women putting off childbearing, and with that comes decreased ovulation. This happens due to age, so the older you are the more complication you will have."
There are fertility problems which are easier to treat than others; however, the earlier you find out what your treatment options are, the closer you will get to that blissful moment of becoming a mother.