InfertilityFor Couples Learning the Battle Against

Infertility. Coping with the Deadly Diagnoses of Infertility

What is Infertility?

• Infertility is defined as, “the inability to get pregnant after one year of unprotected sex.”

• In the U.S., infertility occurs in around 6% of married women ages 15-44.

• Out of those 14-44 year olds, 12% of them have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term.

Who’s affected by infertility?

• It is a common misconception that only women are infertile.

• 7.5% of married men experienced infertility in their lifetime and saw specialists. • Out of those men, 18% were diagnosed with male-related

infertility, either sperm or semen problems.

• Men and women play equal roles in infertility.

History of Infertility• History has shown more increasingly that infertility is on the rise. • 19th and 20th centuries showed dramatic changes in the epidemiological

shift of infertility. • First “Tube baby” was born in 1981, via IVF.

• During the 1880s, infertility saw a record low. Seen then as a “mechanical problem,” researchers pinned the blame on the women. The number of infertile men and women in rose dramatically till reaching a peak in the 1930s.

• Since then, scientists have made miraculous discoveries on why men and women are infertile.

Epidemiology of Infertility

• In the world today, 1 in every 4 couples have been affected by this.

• 1 million American couples suffer from infertility. • During the 1970s, before the medical advancements today,

those planning on having kids later in your 20s or 30s can become increasingly difficult to become pregnant.

• Infertility affects more women than men in the U.S.

Causes of Infertility

• In men, Varicoceles, a condition in which the veins on a man’s testes are large and cause them to overheat. This leads to decreased sperm count and likely infertility. • Diabetes, cystic fibrosis, trauma, infection, testicular failure, or treatment with

chemotherapy and/or radiation are also factors in the causation of infertility among men. • Unhealthy habits can also drastically affect your fertility, such as heavy alcohol use,

testosterone supplementation, smoking, steroid use, and drug use

• In women, ovarian function is the primary reason for infertility. This includes any damage or function of your ovaries in a wrong way. • Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), diminished ovarian reserve (DOR), and premature ovarian

insufficiency (POI) are also contributing factors to infertility among women.

Treatment options• Aside from living a healthier lifestyle, research has shown these

methods contribute to being treated for infertility: • Medicine. Clomid and Serophene are known estrogen-blocking drugs, which cause

the hypothalamus and pituitary glands to release hormones for increased reproduction possiblity.

• Surgery. If your fallopian tubes are blocked, or have fibroids, endometriosis, or PCOS, surgery is the best option for treating infertility.

• Intrauterine insemination (IUI). This method takes prepared sperm and it is inserted into a women’s uterus, causing the women to become pregnant.

• Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). This treatment includes both eggs and sperm to be handled outside the body in a type of in vitro fertilization method (IVF).

Being Hopeful • You’re not alone: There are millions of people suffering form

infertility, and the crushing weight of the prospect of never being able to have children is haunting, however, there is hope.

• Don’t me ashamed: It isn’t your fault. By sharing your story and reinforcing the hopefullness in and around you can be a positive light for your future.

• Treatment. There has been a massive medical advancement in just the past 40 years with infertility, and the methods used today are miraculous.

References• "Infertility FAQs." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, 16 Feb. 2017. Web. 16 Feb. 2017.

• "Global Prevalence of Infertility, Infecundity and Childlessness." WHO. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

• "History of Infertility." History of Infertility | Arizona Center for Fertility Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2017.