About Fertility
One in six Indian couples experience difficulty conceiving. Many of them fail to conceive even after trying for a year or more. Although the real reason for such infertile condition cannot always be determined as sometimes the reasons for infertility can be quite simple but at times can be rather unexplained. A good first step is to understand your fertility and the factors that impact your ability to conceive.
Today more and more couples are delaying their parenthood to settle their careers and finances giving rise to age related infertility. With age the quality and number of eggs available in the ovaries decrease. Thus with shrinking ovarian reserves, the fertility rates among the women over the age of 35 tend to decrease. While stress in today's lifestyle can also affect the quality of sperms in males, making it difficult to conceive and induce pregnancy.
Lifestyle choices like smoking and drinking affects the fertility in both men and women. A study conducted at Harvard University among couples undergoing IVF treatment found that women who consumed more than six units of alcohol a week were 18% less likely to conceive. And similarly in men, more than two alcoholic drinks a day can affect testosterone levels, semen volume, sperm count and quality. Smoking is also a concern as the risk of infertility among smokers can be twice as high as that of non-smokers.
FEMALE FERTILITY
Female fertility is a woman’s ability to conceive a biological child which is affected by a number of factors. It is therefore important when you’re trying to conceive that you understand how the female reproductive system works. Find out more about the female reproductive system »
MALE FERTILITY
Conceiving a healthy baby depends on a number of factors, including healthy sperm. Male factor infertility affects around half of all infertile couples, so it is important to understand how the male reproductive system works.
EFFECT OF AGE
Age affects the fertility of both men and women. It is the single biggest factor affecting a woman’s chance of conceiving and having a healthy baby. Fertility decline with increasing age in men is more subtle, but does affect a man’s chances of achieving a successful pregnancy with his partner.
