Understanding Fertility, Infertility, And The Best Days to Get Conceived!
I. Fertility:
Fertility is a natural process to ensure the survival of the human species. Through natural selection, we produce many offspring when the reproductive system works at its peak in a suitable environment with plenty of food around.
On the other hand, the reproductive system may completely shut down or work at its minimum state and we produce less offspring when the environment is hostile including fewer foods around, war, epidemic, but regardless of all these factors, most women are capable of conceiving during their menstrual cycle before reaching the stage of menopause.
II. Infertility:
Infertility is defined as the inability of a couple to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse. It affects over 5 million couples alone in the U. S. and many times more in the world. Because of unawareness of treatments, only 10% seek help from a professional specialist.
1. Understanding Fertility:
I. The Rate of Pregnancy:
Statistics show that before the age of :
- 1) 31, 73% will get pregnant within one year, and 90% within four years.
- 2) 36, 65% will get pregnant within one year, and 82% within four years.
- 3) 41, 40% will get pregnant within one year, and 60% within four years.
You can see the rate of pregnancy goes down with age.
Although women can get pregnant anytime during their menstrual cycle, the best days to get pregnant are 2 days before and after ovulation because the sperm can only survive 2-3 days (sperm may survive up to 6 days) in the uterus after ejaculating into the vagina.
II. The Natural Process:
Men,
Produce sperm as soon as they reach puberty and at any time of the month, but their sperm quality and quantity may dip occasionally, depending on their internal cycle, therefore it is easy to understand that some women can conceive with their partner at the age of 95.
Women,
The female is born with a finite number of eggs in their ovaries, When females reach the age of puberty, every month some of the eggs in their ovaries mature and are extruded and only one can get into the Fallopian tube for fertility, the rest degenerate and die. When the eggs are less than a certain number in the ovaries, she enters the menopause state.
III. The long journey:
1. The Egg (ovum):
If The Menstrual Cycle is 28 Days:
A) Early Stage:
In the early stage of the menstrual cycle the levels of estrogen rise:
It stimulates the production of FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) hormones from the pituitary gland and the follicles mature 2 to 3 days before ovulation.
As the estrogen levels reach their peak, it stimulates the cervix to make cervical mucus which is friendly to sperm invasion and the pituitary gland releases LH (luteinizing hormone) which triggers ovulation within 48 hours and the egg starts the long journey of traveling through the Fallopian tube toward the uterus.
B) After Ovulation:
After ovulation, the follicle starts to produce progesterone:
The cervical mucus starts to become more sticky and unfriendly day by day to sperm invasion and the cervix opening to the vagina starts to close dramatically. The endometrial lining to the uterus now softens and is ready for the nourishing of the fertilized egg, if pregnancy occurs.
Now you know how many experts tell you that the best days to get conceived are 2 days before and after ovulation because sperm also needs about 2 days to get into the Fallopian tube.
C) If Pregnancy Does Not Occur:
The corpus luteum ceases to produce progesterone and subsequently stops, the soft lining is shed and the woman menstruates. During menstruation, the levels of estrogen decrease, which again triggers the increase in FSH and the menstrual cycle starts over again.
2. The Sperm:
A) After Ejaculating Into The Vagina:
- If the cervix is closed dramatically or the cervical mucus is hostile to the sperm, there is little change.
- One of them will make it to the Fallopian tube.
On the other hand,
if the cervix is opened and the cervical mucus is friendly to the sperm, then the sperm will travel toward the opening of the cervix and one of the winners will enter the fallopian tube to fertilize the mature egg and travel toward the uterus for implantation in the soft lining.
B) After One Sperm Penetrates:
(by releasing acrosome, then acrosin so it can pass through the tough cumulus oophorus and break through the zone pellucida accordingly) into the egg and the egg is fertilized. It then continuously divides itself into a fetus then into a baby.
Ways to Seek Infertility Help:
There are many ways to seek infertility help for couples who are unable to conceive. If you found that you are unable to conceive after trying for more than a year, then it is time to seek help as you are most likely infertile. Seeking the assistance of an infertility expert is one way and they will be able to offer the proper treatment once tests are conducted.
1. Visit Your Physician:
An initial visit to your physician will be discomforting but once you compose yourself, subsequent visits will be less of a chore. You will have to get your medical and gynecological history ready with the female seeing a gynecologist and the male a urologist.
Both will be thoroughly examined and the cause determined, after which will begin the process of infertility treatments.
2. Detect The Problems:
Different couples have different problems and will be treated as such. The different form of infertility helps exist and the treatment options will vary. Some infertility problems will be difficult to detect and help will have to be postponed until the cause is found.
It is,
Necessary to obtain all the essential information on infertility and get the right treatment and emotional support. Handling infertility alone can be both trying and exasperating. With infertility help, it can certainly go a long way to ease the frustrations.
3. Support Groups:
It is vital that you support each other and also health care providers and other support groups can go a long way to help you get through the ordeal. Communication of feelings is essential, especially with your partner as it will help you to bond.
The support group provides the necessary information in a time of need and you will be able to find support from people who have gone through the treatments.
Infertility,
Support Groups are there so that couples who have a personal problem with infertility can seek help. All can attend, even families and there will be people in different stages of their infertility journey and can provide the needed answers.
Also,
Provides many resources that you can’t get by yourself. Information on the various types of treatments is there and also dealing positively with infertility. It can help you get rid of your hopelessness and more cheerful with the treatments.
Attending the infertility support group can be very beneficial as others are facing the same problem. You can find infertility support groups from your infertility specialist, social workers, hospital or health care providers, and even national fertility organization.
4. Infertility Message Boards:
Besides infertility support groups, there are infertility message boards to provide the help that you are seeking. To remain positive, you need support as dealing with infertility alone can be trying.
Infertility message boards provide help online without the face to face meetings. Lots of similar people who face infertility are there to provide assistance and you can freely express your fears and concerns and get the answers. As infertility message boards are free, you just need to get registered.
All Infertility Issues,
can be discussed on the infertility message boards and females tend to be able to share infertility problems with the fellow female. Feel free to ask any questions and you don’t have to feel embarrassed. As well as, you can seek comfort in any form of treatment.
Ways to Boost Fertility in Women With PCOS:
PCOS or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is definitely a frustrating condition in a woman who is trying to conceive. It is said to be the chief cause of infertility in women. However, it could be simple to manage the condition and boost fertility through lifestyle change. It has been thought that proper diet and regular exercise will boost fertility in women with PCOS.
1. Boost Fertility with Weight Loss and Exercise:
It has been proven that weight loss and exercise will definitely boost fertility and regulate cycles in women with PCOS. It will be helpful to facilitate in lessening the possibility of establishing gestational diabetes and hypertension. Weight loss and exercise will boost your fertility by improving insulin sensitivity that would regulate the period and induce ovulation.
2. Change Your Lifestyle:
When having PCOS, it is very necessary to have stable general health issues. You could able to boost fertility mainly by quitting smoking and using drugs that cause infertility.
You could either have adequate water intake, guarantee enough sleep to essentially boost your fertility, especially when considering undergoing fertility treatments. Moreover, it could be helpful to boost fertility through the avoidance of high caffeinated drinks and beverages.
3. Keep Away from Stress:
It is highly recommended to manage stress when trying to boost fertility with PCOS. Stress highly contributes to hormonal imbalance which is not helpful for fertility. You can manage your stress by simply having yoga, prayer and meditation, and regular exercise.
We have all known that stress doesn’t help any fertility and is just capable of lowering your chances to conceive. Therefore, it is of so much help to avoid any stress-causing events and activities present in your environment.
4. Use Herbs to Boost Your Fertility:
Others may eventually find conceiving as a burden especially women with PCOS. However, they can essentially boost fertility through various herbs available in the market today.
Fertility herbs have been proven to boost fertility safely and these are Vanadium (found in dill seeds), Cinnamon, Gymnema, Goats Rue (forms the basis of diabetic drug, Metformin), and Sarsaparilla.
All these herbs are guaranteed to enhance fertility in women with PCOS, which are certainly accessible and can be bought from any pharmaceuticals in your community.
If you find this article useful, don’t forget to share it with your friends and family, as you might help someone in need. Thanks.
Disclaimer: “Nothing in this article makes any claim to offer cures or treatment of any disease or illness. If you are sick please consult with your doctor.”
References:https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/ –
