Are you worried that you may be infertile?

A detailed understanding of the many factors that cause infertility is the foundation on which a successful conception can be made to occur. Reading the following questions and answers is a good place to start your journey out of infertility.

Many couples naively expect they will get pregnant the very first month they try (the result of watching too many Hindi films, perhaps!) - and are concerned when a pregnancy does not occur. All of us go through a brief interlude of doubt and concern when we do not achieve pregnancy the very first month we try - and we start wondering about our fertility.

Social pressures also add to this stress. "So, when are you planning to have a baby?" This is the commonest question most newly married couples in India are asked - sometimes even as soon as they have returned from the honeymoon! There is a lot of pressure on couples to have a baby, especially in traditional families, where the wife's role is still seen to be one of perpetuating the family name by producing heirs.

Q. What are the chances of a normal fertile couple conceiving in one month ?

A. Before worrying, remember that in a single menstrual cycle, the chance of a perfectly normal couple achieving a successful pregnancy is only about 25%, even if they have sex every single day. This is called their fecundity which describes their fertility potential. Humans are not very efficient at producing babies!

There are many reasons for this, including the fact that some eggs don't fertilize and that some of the fertilized eggs ( embryos) don't grow well in the early developmental stage because of a random genetic error.

Getting pregnant is a game of odds - it's a bit like playing Russian Roulette and it's impossible to predict when an individual couple will get pregnant! However, over a period of a year, the chance of a successful pregnancy is between 80 and 90%, so that 7 out of 8 couples will be pregnant within a year. These are the normal "fertile" couples - and the rest are "labeled" infertile - the medical text book definition of infertility being the inability to conceive even after trying for a year.

Q. What is primary infertility ? What is secondary infertility ?

A. Couples who have never had a child, are said to have "primary infertility", while those who have become pregnant at least once but are unable to conceive again, are said to have "secondary infertility."

The approach to both types of infertility is very similar. However, patients with secondary infertility have a better prognosis, because they have proven their fertility in the past.

Q. What are the factors which affect the chances of a normal couple getting pregnant in one month ?

A. The chances of pregnancy for a couple in a given month will depend upon many things, and the most important of these are:

The age of the woman. At the biologic clock ticks on, the number of eggs and their quality starts decreasing

Frequency of intercourse. While there is no "normal" frequency for sex, the "optimal" frequency of intercourse if you are trying to get pregnant is about 3 times a week in the fertile period. Simply stated, the more sex the better! Couples who have intercourse less frequently, have a diminished chance of conceiving.

"Trying time" - that is, how long the couple have been trying to get pregnant. This is an important concept. The longer a couple has been trying to conceive without success, the lesser their chances of getting pregnant without medical help.

The presence of fertility problems.

Q. What are the factors which affect the chances of an infertile couple getting pregnant in one month ?

A. What happens when a couple has a fertility problem? The chances of their getting pregnant depends upon a number of variables multiplied together.

Consider a couple where both the husband and wife have a condition that impairs their fertility. For example, the husband's fertility, based on a reduced sperm count is 50 percent of normal values. His wife ovulates only in 50 percent of cycles; and one of her fallopian tubes is blocked. With three relative infertility factors, their chance of conception is 0.5 (sperm count) X 0.5 (ovulation factor) X 0.5 (tubal factor) = 0.125, or 12.5 percent of normal.

Since the chance of conception in normal fertile couples is only 25% in any one cycle, the probability of pregnancy in any given month for this couple without treatment is only 3 percent (0.125 X 25 = 0.03125)! Even if they kept on trying for 5 years, their chance of conceiving on their own would be 60% only.

Thus, infertility problems multiply together and magnify the odds against a couple achieving a pregnancy. This is why it is important to correct or improve each partner's contributing infertility factors as much as possible in order to maximize the chances of conception.

If infertile couples had 300 years in which to breed, most wives would get pregnant without any treatment at all! Of course, time is at a premium, so the odds need to be improved - and this is where medical treatment comes in.

Q. When should you start worrying and seek medical advice?

A.If you have been having sexual intercourse two or three times a week at about the time of ovulation, without any form of birth control for a year or more and are not pregnant, you meet the definition of being infertile. Pregnancy may still occur spontaneously, but from a statistical point of view, the chances are decreasing and you may now want to start thinking about seeking medical help. There is no "right" time to do so - and if it is causing you anxiety and worry, then you should consult a doctor. Even though you may be embarrassed and feel that you are the only ones in the world with the problem, you are not alone. Many couples experience infertility and many can be helped.

Unfortunately, while infertility is always an important problem, it is usually never an urgent one. This often means that couples keep on putting off going to the doctor. "We'll take care of it next month". Tragically, many find that time flies, and before they realize it, their chances of getting pregnant have started to decline, even before they have had a chance to take treatment properly. Set your priorities, so that you have peace of mind that you tried your best. After all, if you don't take care of your own infertility problem, who will ? Kicking yourself when you are 50 years old for failing to take treatment when you were younger will not help. Remember that everything in life comes back, except for time!

A note of caution.....

There are certain conditions that warrant seeing a doctor sooner:

Q. What can you do to improve your own fertility ?

A.Tips for Infertility Self-help

Q. How often should you have sex ?

A. Frequency of intercourse.

The simple rule is - as often as you like; but the more often you have sex, the better your chances. Thus, for couples who have sex only on weekends (often the price they pay for a heavy work schedule) the chance of having sex on the fertile preovulatory day is only one-third that of couples who have sex every other day - which means they may take three times as long to conceive. Many couples complain that they are too stressed out to have frequent sex. Here are some simple measures you can take to increase sexual frequency.

I tell all my patients - it's much more fun making a baby in your bed room than coming to me! (And think of all the money you'll be saving - it's like being paid to make love to your wife !)

Also remember that you cannot "store up" sperm, which means that there is really no advantage to abstaining from sex if you are trying to conceive. In this case, more is better, and in fact studies have shown that fresh sperm have a better chance of achieving a pregnancy than sperm which have been stored up for many days.

Q. How can you time baby-making sex ?

A. Timing of intercourse.

Unlike animals, who know when to have sex in order to conceive (because the female is in "heat" or estrus when she ovulates), most couples have no idea when the woman ovulates. The window of opportunity during which a woman can get pregnant every month is called her "fertile phase" - and is about 4-5 days before ovulation occurs. Timing intercourse during the "fertile period" ( before ovulation) is important and can be easily learnt . You can use the free fertility calculator to do so. However, some couples are so anxious about having sex at exactly the right time that they may abstain for a whole week prior to the "ovulatory day " - and often the doctor is the culprit in this over-rigorous scheduling of sex. This over attention can be counterproductive (because of the anxiety and stress it generates) and is not advisable. As long as the sperm are going in the vagina, it makes no difference which day they go in , so you can have sex daily as well, if you so desire! Just make sure you also have sex during the "fertile days" as well !

Q. Does sexual position matter ?

A. Position and technique of intercourse.

Pigs are very efficient at conserving semen - the boar literally screws his penis into the cervix of the vagina, obtaining a tight lock prior to ejaculation, to ensure that no semen leaks out. Humans do not have such well-designed mechanisms of technique - and perhaps this is because they are really not necessary. Leakage of semen after intercourse is completely normal. While many women worry that this means that they are not having sex properly or that their body is rejecting the sperm, actually leakage is a good sign - it means that the semen is being correctly deposited in the vagina ! Of course, you can only see what leaks out , and not what goes in ! Most doctors advise a male superior position; and also advise that the woman remain lying down for at least 5 minutes after sex; and not wash or douche afterwards. A number of products used for lubrication during intercourse, such as petroleum jelly , K-Y jelly or vaginal cream, have been shown to kill the sperm . Therefore, these products should be avoided if you are trying to get pregnant . A safe "sperm-friendly" lubricant is liquid paraffin, which is easily available at all large chemists. While it is traditionally consumed orally when used as a laxative, when using it to make a baby you need to apply it liberally locally !

Q. How can the older woman check her fertility potential ?

A. FSH level

Women who are more than 30 and who wish to postpone childbearing should get their FSH levels checked on Day 3 of their cycle. This is a simple blood test which allows the doctor to check your ovarian reserve ( the quantity and quality of the eggs in your ovaries). A high level suggests poor ovarian reserve and should be a wake-up alarm that your biological clock is ticking away rapidly. It's important that this test should be done in a reliable laboratory.

Q. What about herbal medicines which claim to improve your fertility ?

A. There are many websites which sell herbs and other potions which claim to improve your fertility. A popular site these days is Ovulex. Take all these claims with a large pinch of salt ! Just because your friend took wild yam and licorice and conceived in the very next cycle does not mean that it was the herbs which caused her to get pregnant. Often taking these herbs may cause you to waste time and prevent you from getting the right medical treatment.

Q. How can you balance your career and fertility?

A. Balancing a career and fertility

Women pursuing a career often have a hard time balancing their biologic urge to have a baby and the demands of their professional career. Unfortunately, Indian companies still do not give a high priority to family building, and many bosses frown on women employees who are trying to get pregnant, because they are concerned that this will cause them to spend more energy on their family, and detract from their ability to perform their job efficiently. For a minority, putting off getting pregnant means that their fertility declines as they age, and they often regret their earlier decision to postpone childbearing. Professionals often have a harder time coming to terms with their infertility, because this is usually the first time they are forced to confront their own biological frailty and limitations.

Q. Which is the "right time" to plan a baby?

A. While there can be no simple answer to this question, remember that a woman's fertility is maximal between the ages of 20 and 30. Beyond the age of 30, fertility starts to decline; and this drop is quite sharp after the age of 35; and precipitate after the age of 38. From a purely biologic point of view, nature has designed women's bodies so that they have babies between the ages of 20 and 35. However, the right time to have a baby is a very personal and individual decision, which each couple needs to make for themselves. Public anxiety over infertility is fueled by countless magazines articles warning couples not to wait too long to start a family. We now see many patients who are "pre-infertile" , who assume they'll have trouble conceiving even before difficulties actually arise , just because they are more than 30 years old !

Q. Has the fertility of couples declined in modern times ?

A. Possibly. The reasons for this include:

Q. Where can I get help ?

A. The first thing you need to do is become well informed about infertility and your treatment options. This website has over 300 pages of information to help guide you !

Most couples consult their family physician who will refer them to an obstetrician - gynecologist when infertility is a concern. This first visit should include both partners . The physician will usually outline the possible causes of infertility, and provide an evaluation plan. The first step should be to achieve an accurate diagnosis to try to find out why pregnancy isn't occurring. Once a diagnosis has been determined, the couple and physician should talk again about a treatment plan. For difficult problems, referral to an infertility specialist may be suggested.