Everyone dreams of becoming a parent, but for individuals who are unable to conceive a child, it is an exquisitely painful reality. Many of us spend a portion of our life attempting to avoid unplanned pregnancies, and assume that once we are ready to conceive, it will happen with little difficulty. We tend to think that shifting gears from preventing pregnancy to planning conception and childbirth will proceed in a relatively smooth manner. A failure to conceive, then, is a major life stress, which can create problems between otherwise well-adjusted couples.
Living in an advanced society, we tend to assume that individuals in committed relationships have the goal of procreation. Woman are often identified with their ability to give birth. Both men and women are supposed to pass on their genetic and generational legacies. Failure by either party to "fulfill their end of the bargain" can be devastating, humiliating, and emotionally destructive. The continuing taboo against discussing the subject of infertility compounds these reactions. Even though tremendous strides have been made in treating this relatively common condition, infertility is typically not openly discussed.
At PARIVAAR IVF CENTER we havebeen determined to break through some of those taboos and provide you with information, treatment options, and resources to guide you through this painful time. Infertility medicine is a rapidly advancing science, so be sure to check this topic center periodically for new research and treatment updates.
Defining Infertility
Infertility, what is it? Infertility is a problem of couples who have been trying to make a baby for almost a year but cannot. They are not able to conceive due to several reasons. Basically, infertility is the diagnosis on a person who is unable to contribute to conception. Infertility also applies to those couples who are able to conceive but are unable to carry the pregnancy to full term which is contradictory to popular belief that infertility is only the biological inability to conceive. This means that a couple may also be considered infertile if they are plagued with miscarriages. If the embryo cannot survive in the female womb even though there is fertilization that happened, it is still considered as infertility.
The scenario mentioned above is of course an obvious problem on the female part. When it comes to infertility, there may be a lot of causes, and it is not really limited to either gender. Here's a fact that you may already know: 1/3 of infertility cases are due to female problems, another 1/3 of the infertility cases is due to male problems, and rest1/3 of the infertility cases are unexplained. The medical people are very particular when it comes to define infertility. The couple is only diagnosed to be infertile when they have been trying to make a baby for about a year or more already. If the age of the female is more than 35, then the allotted time is only 6 months.
Dealing with Infertility
Coping with infertility is not an easy thing to do. You may find your marriage (and even your friendships) struggling because of it. Surrounding yourself with supportive, non-judgmental people is a great way to begin. Having a good support system is key. You also need to sort through (and face) your feelings- it's quite normal to have feelings of loss, grief, anger, shame, and even jealousy. It's important to realize that these are very normal feelings in this situation. Do not beat yourself up over this!
That being said, it's equally important not to allow these feelings to take over your life. Therapy might be a good idea if that's the case. There is no shame in getting yourself help to deal with this. It's a sign of strength. It's also possible to experience marital problems because of infertility. One way to overcome this is to put some fun back into your marriage. Go out with your husband, have fun. Do things that you used to do and enjoy. Remember why you fell in love with your husband, and try to get that spark back. This puts the focus back on your marriage and makes you a stronger couple.
Statistic and Facts
The facts are that infertility statistics show more couples today will face some sort of fertility issue than in the past years. One statistic shows that over 6 million women are fighting infertility. Other stats show higher numbers.
Stat One
Women of child bearing age (15 to 44 years old) that have some infertility issue is a staggering 7.3 million. This means that 11.8% of women between the ages of 15-44 years will have some sort of infertility issue to hinder them from becoming pregnant.
Stat Two
Of the women aged 15-44 who are married and actively trying to get pregnant 2.1 million of them will be unable to conceive within the first year of trying. The percentage of married women who are infertile is 7.4%.
Stat Three
Of the women ages 15-44 7.3 million will use or have used some sort of infertility service.
Those are staggering results. The good news is that with today's advances in medicine infertility need not be a life sentence. Couples that last century couldn't have ever conceived and carried a pregnancy can with the help of modern medicine. More research has been done on human reproduction and even natural remedies can help alleviate certain infertility problems.
