Reproductive health includes the ability to be satisfied with sex and to be able to have children when or if you want to.
When there are problems with your reproductive system, it may leave you unable to have a baby or get someone pregnant. You may be diagnosed with infertility if you can’t become pregnant after having unprotected sex for one year. In South Africa, about 1 out of 6 couples deal with infertility.
There are many causes of infertility. About one-third of cases are due to problems in the female reproductive system, another third are caused by issues in the male reproductive system, and the remaining cases are either caused by factors that affect both people or by an unknown issue.
There are many things that can cause infertility, such as genetic problems, tissue damage, or underlying medical conditions.
Infertility is more common in those who:
Women are more likely to be infertile if they are more than 35 years old, have abnormal menstrual periods, or have been diagnosed with health conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), pelvic inflammatory disease, kidney disease, problems with the pituitary gland, thyroid disease, or sickle cell anaemia. Women also become less fertile as they age.
Men have a greater chance of being infertile if they are more than 40 years old, often use hot tubs or saunas, misuse anabolic steroids, have had injuries that affect the testicles, have a low sperm count, or have been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, prostate problems, or testicular cancer.
If you have trouble getting pregnant, your doctor may check over both you and your partner. Tests may include physical examinations, blood tests, and ultrasound imaging of reproductive organs. For women, your doctor may recommend other tests such as using a thin tube with a camera to look inside your uterus. For men, your doctor may suggest measuring the quality and number of your semen.
Your treatment plan depends upon the cause of your infertility.
Women may be able to take medication that increases their fertility and encourages their ovaries to release eggs. Certain problems, such as a growth on the uterus or blocked fallopian tube, may be treated with surgery.
For men, medications can also help increase levels of the testosterone hormone or treat erectile dysfunction (a condition that makes it hard to get an erection). Surgery to improve the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles out of the body may also help.
Couples can use procedures to help boost the chances of pregnancy. For example, during intrauterine insemination (IUI), a doctor collects a sperm sample and places it directly inside the uterus. In vitro fertilization (IVF) includes combining eggs and sperm in a dish to form embryos and then placing the embryos in the uterus.