June 4 is celebrated on International Infertility Day, a problem that according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), affects 10 percent of couples worldwide, although in Spain the figure rises to 17 percent.
The search for a baby is always a reason for joy, but for many couples it can become an arduous one. road, full of obstacles, sadness and hopelessness. What is infertility and why does it occur? We tell you all the causes.
When could a couple have infertility problems?
When, after a year of constant search and without the use of any contraceptive method, a couple without any sign of obvious pathology has not achieved pregnancy, it is considered that there is a infertility problem
When the woman is over 35 years old, the unsuccessful search time should be reduced to six months, since her ovarian capacity is decreasing and should be put in the hands of specialists as soon as possible.
In Babies and more "The worst thing about infertility is feeling like a mother and not having a baby," we talked to Eva M. Deiros about the hard path of infertility. Sometimes, the term "infertility" and "sterility" is used interchangeably despite that both concepts have different connotations. In both cases there is an impossibility at the time of having children but the difference lies in the exact moment in which the problem arisesIn the sterility, fertilization never occurs.
In the case of infertilityThere is fertilization but the embryo is not able to implant (implantation failure in the uterine endometrium) or develop until the end of pregnancy (abortion).
What are the causes of infertility in a couple?
According to statistical data, the medical causes that cause infertility are shared: in 40 percent of cases the problem is in men, in the other 40 percent the origin lies in women and in the remaining 20 percent, the origin of infertility is unknown.
The woman's age has an important influence when it comes to getting pregnant. Women are born with an ovarian reserve that runs out as we turn years old. Upon reaching 35 years, this reserve is quite diminished and the chances of achieving pregnancy are reduced to 50 percent.
From this age, the chances of conception are decreasing by nine percent every year. Upon reaching 40 years, experts indicate that in most cases the ovarian reserve has already run out, although the woman continues to have regular menstrual cycles.
The delay in the age to be mothers is, according to doctors specialized in assisted reproduction, one of the main causes of infertility in womenBut not only the age of the woman is important. Other factors such as poor diet, tobacco, or maintaining unhealthy lifestyle habits, would also affect the ability of both to reproduce.
In any case, there can be multiple factors that preclude a pregnancy and, as we have seen, come from both the male and the female side or even both:
The male problems They may be:
Endocrine disorders or hormonal alterations that affect sperm formation
Testicular pathologies that alter sperm production
Problems affecting ejaculation
Low quantity of sperm or poor quality thereof, which affects their mobility or / and morphology
The problems of feminine origin They may be:
Endocrine disorders related to hormonal control of the menstrual cycle and ovulation
Alterations in the fallopian tubes which is the place where fertilization of the ovule occurs
Functional and / or anatomical problems of the cervix that hinder the rise of sperm
Uterine malformations, endometriosis, polyps, myomas ...
In Babies and more The 11 most frequently asked questions about infertility answered by an expertWhat are assisted reproduction techniques?
If, as we have said before, after a year of searching the pregnancy has not occurred, it is time to consult with the specialists.
The doctor will dictate the tests that both members of the couple must perform, in order to find the possible causes of infertility. Once the cause or causes that prevent pregnancy have been found, we will proceed to the assisted reproduction technique most recommended in each case.
Today, there are numerous assisted reproduction treatments that help achieve pregnancy:
exist low complexity techniques, such as programmed intercourse or artificial insemination
But other techniques require a greater complexity or even combined protocols, such as in vitro fertilization (with own or donor eggs), ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection), preimplantation genetic diagnosis, vitrification ...
Since the "first test tube girl" born in 1978, assisted reproduction techniques have evolved over time. The treatments have been perfected and specialized professionals in this field have been trained, achieving higher success rates.
According to doctors specialized in reproduction, with the proper diagnosis and technique, a couple should be able to get pregnant before a year or three fertility treatments.
Secondary infertility, when the second child waits
We have talked about primary infertility, which is the one that prevents the couple from being parents for the first time. But there is another type of infertility known as secondary, which occurs when the couple already has a child (whose conception and pregnancy passed without major problem) but fails to expand the family.
"On a social level, secondary infertility is a taboo subject. You don't know who to talk about because nobody understands you. You already have a beautiful child, enjoy it! - they tell you without any consideration. You feel misunderstood and without the right to complain." - Maria confesses, mother of a five-year-old boy
To the initial confusion for not knowing what has changed with respect to the first time, the pressure that people exert with their questions about the second little brother joins. Parents feel baffled and frustrated and, in many cases, do not know how to react.
Emotional care during infertility
WHO defines infertility as a disease that affects both physically and emotionally and psychologically, considerably increasing the complexity of this pathology.
And is that couples looking for a pregnancy without getting it, suffer a great psychological wear in the process that, sometimes, is aggravated when the near environment (friends, family, coworkers ...) spontaneously achieves pregnancies.
"It's very hard to see how everything around you continues its course. Your friends give you the news of their pregnancies and you feel terrible for not being able to rejoice. You just want to isolate yourself and cry" - admits Lorena, who recently just submitted to her second IVF cycle
According to assisted reproduction experts, it is women who suffer most notably. In them, the feelings of sadness, frustration, anger and depression They are usually older than in man.
To the social pressure or anxiety that the finiteness of his fertile period can produce, is added the fact that much of the medical tests performed are invasive as well as most of the reproduction techniques.
When a couple faces the diagnosis of infertility, they go through several stages of grief ranging from denial to anger or depression. Sometimes they feel misunderstood by the people around them and problems can even arise in the relationship between them.
In Babies and more Artificial insemination: what is this reproduction technique?To deal with all these negative feelings, experts recommend that the couple has a good emotional support while the process lasts. The ability to speak and feel heard helps maintain a sense of control and make the wait more bearable.
Each cycle is loaded with new hope, enthusiasm and joy. And, according to psychologists specializing in assisted reproduction, dealing with it in a positive way contributes to the success of the treatment.
- Photos | iStock
- In Babies and More | When to seek help in case of not getting pregnant ?, Endometriosis, silent disease, do you want to be a father? It also matters what you eat, Male infertility: what it is and why, A French laboratory creates human sperm in vitro. ¿Revolusión in the treatments of fertility ?, A new study proposes to extend the cilcos of fertilization in vitro beyond 3 or 4, Infertility stopped my life. An indispensable video to understand those who fail to be mothers, assisted reproduction techniques. We explain each one, "Society must know what it means to want and not be able to have children." Interview with the president of the Infertiles Network, Announcing her pregnancy showing all the struggle and sufferings that happened to achieve it
