Infertility means having the inability to conceive a child even after a year of trying. If you or your partner struggles to have a child, you might have infertility. If you’re a woman over 35 years old, it signifies you haven’t been able to conceive a child after six months of trying. If you’re hustling hard from this problem, then you’ve landed on the right page. This blog sets out revealing some relevant facts and information about this problem that can help in some ways to get out of it.
What is infertility?
Infertility is a condition in which a woman or man is not able to conceive a child. This problem has become commonplace in India. According to reports, the prevalence of infertility is around 10-15 percent. Infertility can fairly happen in both males and females. This problem can affect every area of your life, and can also weaken your relationship with your partner.
What are the symptoms of infertility?
Infertility can fairly happen to both men and women. In this section, we have mentioned infertility in both men and women so that you can prevent the potential threat in time.
Signs of infertility in women may include:
- Painful sex
- Having long and painful periods
- Pale or dark menstrual blood
- Having irregular menstrual blood
- Hormone changes that lead to severe acne, nipple discharge, facial hair in females, sudden weight gain
- Not getting pregnant (Primary Sign of infertility)
Signs of infertility in men
There are myriad signs that confirm infertility in men, which include the following-
- Hormonal imbalance ( Problem in testes that produce testosterone, a hormone that is important for fertility)
- Erectile dysfunction
- Obesity
- Changes in testicles
- Premature ejaculation
What are the risk factors of having infertility?
There are several risk factors that can keep you at higher risk of having infertility in both women and men. These include the following-
- Age factor
- Alcohol abuse
- Constant stress and anxiety
- Poor diet
- History of sexually transmitted infections
- Smoking Marijuana, Cannabis, or tobacco
What are the causes of infertility?
To conceive a baby, all the fertilization and ovulation needs to occur correctly. Some infertility occurs as a genetic disorder, and sometimes infertility develops later in life.
As mentioned, infertility can happen to both men and women. Let’s look at the conditions responsible for developing infertility in both women and men.
Causes of infertility in males
Abnormal production of semen or function
This problem can arise due to deformed testicles, genetic defects, health ailments like diabetes, or an infection like Gonorrhea, chlamydia, mumps, or HIV. Enlarged varicocele (Veins in the testes) can also develop infertility in males.
Having issues in transferring sperm
This can happen if you’re having any sexual disorder, like premature ejaculation; genetic disease, like cystic fibrosis; damage or injury to the reproductive organs can lead you to infertility.
Environmental factors
Overexposure to radiation, chemicals, or overconsumption of alcohol can cause infertility in males. Also, the regular ingestion of smoking tobacco or drugs like marijuana and cannabis can lead to infertility.
Damaged caused by cancer and its treatment
Damage caused during chemotherapy treatment can impair sperm production permanently.
Causes of infertility in females
Failure to ovulate
This is a common ground cause of female fertility. According to reports, around 40% of Indian women who are not able to conceive a child have failed to ovulate.
Problems in the menstrual cycle
The menstrual cycle prepares the female body for pregnancy, and having issues in the menstrual cycle can cause infertility. The menstrual cycle involves several phases, and disruption at any one stage can hinder pregnancy.
Infection
Infection is a common cause of infertility in both men and women. Infections like Gonorrhea and chlamydia in women can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, obstructing the fallopian tubes due to scarring. Untreated syphilis can also keep a pregnant woman from having a stillbirth.
Autoimmune disease
Autoimmune is a common health ailment in the body’s immune system charges on normal body tissues. Autoimmune diseases like lupus, Hashimoto’s, and rheumatoid arthritis can cause infertility.
How can infertility be treated with Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is all about stimulating and strengthening the body’s self-healing power and balancing mechanisms that don’t rely on the administration of foreign substances to replace or correct the deprived hormones in the body. Ayurvedic treatment focuses on treating infertility holistically and helps an individual to attain overall good health.
Natural herbs play a crucial role in ayurvedic treatment. The ayurvedic herbs function to eradicate the underlying causes or the primary drivers of the problem to give permanent relief. But, this can only be possible with a well-balanced diet; no natural herb can cure infertility without a good diet. A good diet and natural herbs work in an alliance to stimulate and strengthen dead cells to start or revamp their functioning.