About 10% of couples who want to conceive experience infertility. Sadly, much of the information that you may happen across is simply wrong, which can leave you confused about both the cause of your infertility and your options.
Edward J. Ramirez, MD, at The Fertility & Gynecology Center - Monterey Bay IVF is an expert when it comes to infertility. He happily answers your questions and explains your various treatment options. And in this post, we want to correct some of the misinformation you may have encountered regarding infertility.
Perhaps it’s due to history, but whatever the reason, many people think that infertility is a woman problem. But about 35% of the time, infertility is due to a problem with the man — about the same percentage of cases that are the result of a problem related to the woman.
Men who have testicle pain or swelling, changes in their libido, difficulty maintaining an erection, or problems with ejaculation may have symptoms related to infertility. Also, men become less fertile with age, just as women do.
No doubt, if you’ve shared your struggles, someone has suggested that if you’d just relax and stop worrying you’d get pregnant.
The reality is that infertility isn’t a psychological issue, and it doesn’t have anything to do with being relaxed. Infertility is a problem with your or your partner’s reproductive system. Relaxing is great and lowering your stress level is a good idea, but those things won’t solve your fertility problem.
In both men and women, one of the leading causes of infertility is attributable to an underlying health condition. If you want to conceive, a good first step is taking care of your body.
Positive lifestyle changes, such as maintaining a healthy weight, eating a nutritious and healthy diet, avoiding drugs and alcohol, and quitting smoking go a long way toward improving your health and may affect your fertility.
In about 30% of infertility cases, the couple already has one child. In other words, even if you have a child, you can still experience infertility if you try to have another baby.
Similar to not being a psychological issue, infertility doesn’t have anything to do with how hard you work. Infertility is a medical condition, and in some cases, it’s untreatable. But advances happen every day, and medical science and technology may help you conceive.
According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, more than half of couples who seek treatment for infertility have a successful pregnancy following treatment. Don’t give up hope.
Request an appointment today with Dr. Ramirez at The Fertility & Gynecology Center in Monterey, California, and begin learning the facts about infertility and your options.
