Fertility Problems

The inability to conceive is traumatic and deeply upsetting, particularly if you feel you’ve been trying for a long time or feel that you are running out of time.

There are many factors that can affect your fertility. These can range from:

Your age
Irregular ovulation
Damage to your fallopian tubes
Low sperm count

What Happens If I Cannot Get Pregnant?

There can be many reasons as to why you may not be able to get pregnant but there are many treatments that can help. It’s a lot easier said than done but try not to worry. Fifteen per cent of couples take over twelve months to conceive and if you have been on the pill for a long time, it can take even longer. There are some things that you can try to increase your chances of conceiving:-

Ovulation prediction kits: these test your urine for a luteinizing hormone
BBT ( basal body temperature) method: this is when you take you temperature everyday, when there is a rise of 0.5 above 37 celsius you are ovulating.
Vaginal Mucus: your mucus will increase and change in consistency when you are due to ovulate.

If you decide to visit your GP he or she will probably perform some basic tests. At this stage you may be referred to a specialist for more tests too. If a cause of infertility can be identified then the options will become apparent.

Fertility tests may include;-

Hormone test – this is a simple blood test taken around day 21 of you period. It’s measure will confirm whether or not ovulation has occurred
Semen Analysis – sperm numbers and semen volume are measured. Checks will ensure that the sperm are moving forwards and that they are not an irregular shape.
Post coital tests check the cervical fluid to make sure the sperm are motile. It can highlight whether either of the partners are producing sperm antibodies
Physical checks, including x ray, laparoscopy, ultasound and surgical explorations are also available

What Treatments Are There?

Gamete Intra-fallopian transfer: sperm and eggs are taken and mixed externally, then put back into the fallopian tube
In vitro fertilisation: eggs are fertilized by sperm externally and then many fertilized eggs are replaced in the womb.
Intra cytoplasmic sperm injection: injects sperm directly into the egg

There are also treatments for unblocking your fallopian tubes, or improving your partners sperm count. These need to be discussed with your GP.

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