5 Facts About Infertility – Part 1

Infertility is often a misunderstood topic. Confusion and inaccurate information abound that can cloud the facts. At Shantah IVF Centre the best IVF centre in Delhi, we encourage you to do your homework and become informed with accurate, reliable, truthful information about infertility. We are hopeful that your own Forbes listed bestIVF specialist Dr. Anubha Singh, and her core health care team, and this blog will serve as a wonderful resource for you. Let’s get the facts right.

Fact #1: Infertility doesn’t discriminate.

Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system and it affects both men and women. For this reason, during the initial infertility work-up, it is imperative to test the male partner’s fertility as well as the female partner’s fertility. In 40 to 50 percent of infertility cases, male factor is the cause, making it necessary to review the male’s test results—in addition to the female’s—as part of the diagnostic work-up.

Fact #2: You are not alone.

It seems that everyone knows someone who has had trouble conceiving. On average, one in eight couples of reproductive age will be infertile. However, our experience at Shantah IVFCentre if couples seek treatment most will be successful in having a baby. Patient advocacy groups and online patient networks are great resources for information about support and finding other couples experiencing infertility. Remember, you are not alone.

Fact #3: The female partner’s age is a key indicator of future success.

You will find this fact emphasized throughout this website and it cannot be repeated often enough. The single most common misconception among women is that they can achieve a pregnancy at any age. Unfortunately this is not true. A woman’s fertility naturally decreases with age and fertility treatment results follow the same downward trend; they decrease beginning in the early 20s and drop more rapidly after 35. Even with in vitro fertilization (IVF), pregnancies over the age of 42 are uncommon. But what about those Bollywood or Hollywood stars who are having babies at 45, 48, and even 52? Those women are most likely using donor eggs or froze their eggs when they were younger.

Fact #4: Even if you’ve already had a child, secondary infertility is possible.

Secondary infertility—the inability to get pregnant naturally or carry a pregnancy to term after successfully conceiving one or more children—is actually quite common. For some, this is out of guilt or shame, for others it’s because of confusion surrounding how infertility could now exist even though they already have a child. In reality, a number of things can cause secondary infertility, including advanced maternal age, damaged or blocked Fallopian tubes, problems with ovulation, endometriosis, and problems with sperm production.

Read this also: Are you suffering from Secondary Infertility?

Fact #5: Knowing when to seek help gives you the most options.

For women younger than 35, infertility is defined as 12 months of unprotected intercourse without conception occurring. For women older than 35 to 39, it is defined as 6 months of unprotected intercourse without conception. For women 40 and older, we recommend seeing a specialist after 3 months of trying to conceive.

Additionally, it is important to realize that the definition of trying to conceive doesn’t mention frequency or timing of intercourse, the use of ovulation predictor kits or temperature charts, checking the mucus, or any other methods other than having unprotected intercourse. Therefore, a couple having regular, unprotected intercourse is effectively “trying to conceive” whether they realize it or not.

Further, if a woman is experiencing irregular periods (or none at all) or has experienced two or more miscarriages, she should speak with a fertility specialist, regardless of how long she and her partner have been trying to conceive.

Lastly, as for knowing when to seek treatment, early intervention can make all the difference in your ability to get pregnant sooner. In many cases, a referral from your OB/GYN is not required and the initial consult is covered by insurance 90 percent of the time. In fact, 50 percent of Shantah IVF Centre patients self-refer.

When you are going through any fertility treatment, it is important to understand that your chances for pregnancy are most likely going to be optimized by three to six treatment cycles. If pregnancy isn’t happening and your health care team has not discovered any new information to help improve the current treatment plan, it is time to move on to the next option.

If you have any questions in your mind regarding IVF Treatment or any other infertility problem then please do let us know. Shantah Fertility Centre is an award winning IVF centre and has a dedicated staff available at help in one go. You can call us on +91 11 41040956 or +91 9958466687 and you can also visit our Facebook page for more information. We are here to help you becoming parents.