What Are The Causes Of Infertility In Both Men And Women

When you're hoping for a positive result on a home pregnancy test, it can be a difficult moment to receive a negative result. With television shows that highlight the lives of teens who became pregnant so easily without even trying and magazine covers highlighting the newest pregnancy for a mother who already has a dozen or more children, you might think getting pregnant is much easier than it actually is. While your negative pregnancy test might be nothing more than a sign you didn't plan your intercourse accordingly this month, it may be an indication that either you or your partner may be suffering from different causes of infertility.

Here are some causes of infertility in both men and women:

Male Infertility

Many people assume that infertility is a female problem. They might immediately wonder if the woman in the one to blame with a couple is not having any luck becoming pregnant. Traditionally, doctors believe that younger couples who have been trying for a year or more to get pregnant without any luck are infertile. For couples older than 35, doctors begin to strongly consider infertility after six months of trying to conceive with no luck. Still, most people believe that it's the woman's health problems causing infertility.

This is simply not true. In fact, approximately half of infertility problems in the U.S. are caused by the male partner in the relationship. Male infertility is caused by a number of factors. Essentially, men must be able to produce healthy sperm, enough sperm, and correctly shaped sperm to impregnate a woman. If he cannot do one or more of those things, he likely suffers from infertility. Health issues are the leading causes of infertility in men. Men who suffer from infection, varicocele, take certain medications, or have a hormone imbalance may suffer from infertility as these are all medical causes of the problem. Additionally, environmental factors can affect male fertility. Exposure to heavy metals, X-rays, radiation, chemicals, and the overexposure to heat can cause male infertility.

Men's lifestyle choices can also cause infertility. Drug and alcohol use, smoking, weight, stress, and even too much bicycling can cause males to suffer from fertility issues. Men who do suffer from infertility might not recognize any signs or symptoms right away. Aside from his partner's inability to become pregnant, other signs of male infertility include ejaculation issues, pain or swelling in the testicles, low sperm count, and a sudden inability to grow hair on the face or body are all signs or causes of infertility in men. However, a sign such as low sperm count is not one that a man will notice without medical assistance, which is one of the main reasons why men often do not realize that they might be the reason behind a woman's inability to get pregnant.

Female Infertility

Since the invention of IVF and other fertility treatments, women who suffer from infertility issues have more options than ever before when it comes to starting a family. Infertility on the part of a woman no longer has to mean that she cannot have a child of her own, even if she cannot carry that child. In order for you to become pregnant, you need to ovulate, have sex, and receive sperm to fertilize your eggs. Ovulation occurs when your body releases an egg into your fallopian tubes. When it is fertilized, it moves into your uterus and you become pregnant.

The causes of infertility can vary. Most commonly, women who are infertile suffer from ovulation disorders, damaged fallopian tubes, cervical blockage, and a number of other health issues that can lead to infertility. Women who are not fertile often do not realize they cannot conceive a child until they fail to become pregnant after trying repeatedly. Furthermore, some women who suffer from infertility have no medical explanation for their inability to conceive and will never know why they could not have a baby.

Much like male fertility issues, it's not until a woman repeatedly fails to become pregnant that she begins to consider she might have issues with infertility. Since it is not something you can see or that you even feel, it might take a while to find out that infertility is something you have to live with. While some women may now they are infertile after struggles with cancer, a specific surgery, or another condition, most simply do not know until they see their doctor regarding the inability to conceive.

The only other sign that a woman might suffer from infertility is her menstrual cycle. The typical menstrual cycle lasts 28 days from the first day of your period until the first day of your next period. However, it is not uncommon for many women to have a shorter or longer cycle. This does not indicate female infertility, but women whose cycles are shorter than three weeks or longer than five weeks could suffer from infertility. This is a sign that you should consult with your doctor for further testing.