Most people will have the strong desire to conceive a child at some point during their lifetime. Understanding what defines normal fertility is crucial to helping a person, or couple, know when it is time to seek help.
If you and your partner are struggling to have a baby, you’re not alone. 10 to 15 percent of couples in the World are infertile. Infertility is defined as not being able to get pregnant despite having frequent, unprotected sex for at least a year for most couples.
It may be that one partner cannot contribute to conception, or that a woman is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term. It is often defined as not conceiving after 12 months of regular sexual intercourse without the use of birth control.
Women who do not have regular menstrual cycles, or are older than 35 years and have not conceived during a 6-month period of trying, should consider making an appointment with a reproductive endocrinologist – an infertility specialist. These doctors may also be able to help women with recurrent pregnancy loss – 2 or more spontaneous miscarriages.
Infertility may result from an issue with either you or your partner or a combination of factors that interfere with pregnancy. Fortunately, there are many safe and effective therapies that significantly improve your chances of getting pregnant.
The answer is Yes. About 6% of married women 15-44 years of age in the World are unable to get pregnant after one year of unprotected sex (infertility).
Also, about 12% of women 15-44 years of age in the World have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term, regardless of marital status (impaired fecundity).
No, infertility is not always a woman’s problem. Both men and women can contribute to infertility.
Many couples struggle with infertility and seek help to become pregnant, but it is often thought of as only a woman’s condition. However, in about 35% of couples with infertility, a male factor is identified along with a female factor. In about 8% of couples with infertility, a male factor is the only identifiable cause.
The main symptom of infertility is not getting pregnant. There may be no other obvious symptoms. Sometimes, an infertile woman may have irregular or absent menstrual periods. Rarely, an infertile man may have some signs of hormonal problems, such as changes in hair growth or sexual function.
Infertility in men can be caused by different factors and is typically evaluated by a semen analysis. A specialist will evaluate the number of sperm (concentration), motility (movement), and morphology (shape).
A slightly abnormal semen analysis does not mean that a man is necessarily infertile. Instead, a semen analysis helps determine if and how malefactors are contributing to infertility.
Most cases of female infertility are caused by problems with ovulation. Without ovulation, there are no eggs to be fertilized. Some signs that a woman is not ovulating normally include irregular or absent menstrual periods.
Women need functioning ovaries, fallopian tubes, and a uterus to get pregnant. Conditions affecting any one of these organs can contribute to female infertility. Some of these conditions are listed below and can be evaluated using a number of different tests.
Agnideepana and Ama Pachan –with the use of Ayurvedic digestive and carminative herbs Agni (digestive fire) is corrected and Ama (toxins inside the body) is eliminated that leads to the formation of healthy Ojas (nutrition).
Shodhana– Detoxification therapy that expels out the Doshas from the body during the uterine problems. This includes Vaman (Emesis), Virechan (Purgation), Vasti (Medicated enemas).
Some herbs like Amalaki (Emblica Officinalis), Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) and Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) are extremely useful to balance the female hormones FSH, and LH.
According to Ayurveda, infertility arises when ‘shukra dhatu’, which produces eggs in women and sperms in men, is weak due to lack of proper nutrition. This could be due to poor digestion or an absence of a balanced diet or due to the presence of ‘ama’ or toxins in the body.
According to Ayurveda, sexual indulgence and promiscuity can also cause infertility due to the decrease in ‘shukra dhatu’.
Overcoming male infertility requires some basic modulation in lifestyle and food habits.
The treatment includes Shodhan Chikitsa i.e. cleansing therapy depending upon dominancy of deranged doshas. Vaman in Kapha Dushti, Virechan in Pitta Dushti and Basti in case of Vata dushti.
Panchakarma therapies like Abhyanga (whole body massage), Shirodhara, Nasya endows a great deal of physical and mental relaxation.
Regular exercise and yoga promote added assistance. One should practice pelvic floor exercises, padmasan, mool bandha to strengthen and optimize the functionality of the desired organs.
Medicines like Shatavari, Nagbala, Bala, Musali, Ashwagandha, Milk, Ghee, Haritaki, Amla, Yastimadhu, Pippali, Shatavari kalpa plays an essential role in improving count of efficient sperms.
Kapikacchu, Vidari, Gokshur, Shatavari, Ashwagandha, Bruhati phala, medicinal preparations like Vrushya vati, Shilajatu, Vanari kalpa cures problems related to Semen ejaculation.
