Starting a family is a truly beautiful thing, there is certainly no doubt about it. Creating a life and having a baby is certainly one of the most monumental thing that a couple can experience both together and as individual people. However, conceiving can be more complicated than many people first realize. As women tend to reach their most fertile period of life – between the ages of 20 and 24, still very young indeed – before most are ready to start a family, age is one factor that can play into a lack of an ability to conceive.
After all, a woman’s fertility levels begin to drop once she has surpassed the age of 30 and steeply plummeting after she reaches the age of 35. By the time that women reach the age of 40, conceiving naturally becomes much more difficult, and only around 40% of women around this age will be able to conceive without any medical interventions whatsoever. And age is certainly not the only factor in the impaired ability to reproduce.
Finding difficult in the ability to reproduce and with infertility can be brought on by lifestyle choices as well. Simply smoking five cigarettes over the course of a day can drastically reduce overall fertility levels not just in women but in men as well. And sometimes medical conditions can impair fertility for both sexes. Conditions like testicular cancer, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (also known as PCOS), and other can all make a mark when it comes to the ability to conceive and reproduce naturally. And while some women and men are able to conceive, pregnancy loss is certainly not uncommon and is something that can make the ability to reproduce seem far off and difficult.
Fortunately, however, there are a number of very effective ways that infertility can be treated. First of all, it’s important to know when it’s time to see an infertility specialist at a designated reproductive clinic where the whole goal is to help couples or even single people reproduce. Conception, even with very fertile couples, can naturally take some time. It’s not unheard of for healthy couples to spend up to a year trying for a baby before they are actually able to conceive. And many of these couples are often worried about fertility during this process, but if the woman in the couple is under the age of 35, it’s important to give it time. Typically, a fertility doctor will not be recommended until one full year of trying has passed without success.
But if it does pass and you and your partner are still struggling to reproduce and conceive, going to a reproduction center can be very helpful. There you will be likely able to pinpoint the origin of your fertility issues and discuss and plan out a course of treatment. And treatment options are many, ranging from the simple – changing your lifestyle to better your chances to conceive and reproduce – to the much more intensive – surgical procedures that are performed in the hopes of getting you or your partner pregnant.
In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is one such way to help a couple or even a single person become pregnant and reproduce through medical intervention. The IVF treatment process can certainly be a long one, requiring the harvesting first of egg and sperm and the creation of the embryos that will then be implanted and hopefully developed into a pregnancy inside of the body of the woman in question. For women who are not already ovulating naturally, hormonal treatments ranging from pills to even shots will likely be necessary before an egg can be harvested. If this is not possible, a donor egg – or even donor sperm – can be utilized effectively.
Facing fertility issues when you are gettin ready to start your family can be nothing if not devastating and the loss of the ability to conceive naturally can be a big blow that many people and couples face. However, there are a number of steps that such couples can take to make conception and reproduction a reality still, even with fertility issues.
