Will I Ever become a mum?

This post is first in a series of posts about Infertility. This topic is quite delicate and close to my heart so hopefully I can steer the discussion on a productive path.

We all have personal stories or know someone on their journey to conception and this road sometimes isn’t quite as smooth for some of us.

If you’re a Nigerian woman reading this, chances are that you’ve heard stories, seen  Nollywood movies or even real life scenarios where women have been persecuted for failing to conceive.

Public service announcement---Men can be Infertile too!!!!

I digress- forgive me

Here are the facts:

Infertililty  is defined as the failure of conception in a couple having regular, unprotected sexual intercourse for one year, provided that normal intercourse is occurring .(Reccommended-not less than twice weekly)

·         Approximately 80% of couples will be pregnant after 12 cycles/periods.

·         Of those who have not conceived after 1 year, a further ~50% will conceive during a second year of attempted conception.

·          After this second year of attempted conception, the chance of conception in those couples remaining is about 50% in the following four years.

 Infertility can be broadly divided into:

·         Primary infertility:a couple without a prior pregnancy.

·          Secondary infertility:the couple have previously succeeded in achieving at least one pregnancy, including abortion and ectopic pregnancy.

 The World Health Organization (2010), estimates that up to 60% of infertility cases in Africa are attributive to genital tract infections in males and females (e.g Chlamydia and gonorrhoea) as compared to other regions of the world with about 30% of the issues involved with infertility due to the man(azoospermia, erectile dysfunction etc), 30% to the woman(obesity, PCOS,Endometriosis,fibroids etc), and 5% resulting from complications with both partners, leaving 25% causes unexplained (Cooper, 2010)

Infertility burden has increased in Nigeria and around the world in recent time and it currently accounts for a significant proportion of gynaecology consultations. In many cultures in Nigeria the inability to conceive bears a stigma especially on the woman even though infertility can be a problem with either couple as demonstrated by the statistics above.

So, are you trying to conceive? Have you been trying with the same partner for over a year? So you fulfil this criteria, what should you do next..

I recommend that the couple should visit a doctor for a comprehensive health check. This check will usually involve a thorough history taking to identify possible modifiable factors that could be impacting on fertility. Obesity, alcohol, smoking and stress are factors that have been shown to have an adverse effect on fertility.

 It also will identify pertinent factors in the general health history of the man and the woman. For example, a woman who has had an STI such as Chlamydia in the past might have substantial scarring of reproductive organs which could be affecting fertility.

As part of the check up, the couple should also have a physical examination for further assessment. (I will not go into too much detail on this  as the examining medical professional will do this)

After all the above, the Doctor will most likely request some blood tests to include mid luteal progesterone (this is to check that ovulation is occurring), STI screen, Semen analysis and other tests.

This post is only a tip of the iceberg as Infertility is quite complex and requires multiple posts, in subsequent posts, I will aim to address different causes of female infertility, possible symptoms and management and perhaps some readers will share their journeys with us.

Is there a particular cause of infertility you would like me to address or specific questions? Let me know  by sending me a message or commenting below!