Popular culture has made the pregnancy process seem almost too easy. A couple decides to have a baby, and they almost immediately become pregnant. In fact, there is even a show about a family that has had close to twenty children! However, for every couple that seems able to have dozens of children, there are those who are having trouble conceiving.
If you have come to a point where you think that you might have fertility problems, the first thing that you should do is check your dates. Yes, if you’re a woman, you should have already kept a record of your menstrual cycles, but you should also keep at least a mental note of how long you have been trying to conceive.
According to many fertility experts, a couple having unprotected sex should be able to conceive within six months of having done so. Sometimes, this amount is extended to a year. However, if you have been trying to conceive for over a year without any success, the chances are good that you are having fertility problems.
So, what is the next step in figuring out why you can’t conceive? First of all, your primary care physician should refer you to a specialist. The specialist should not just check you, but also your husband. Unfortunately, many people think that when a couple cannot conceive, it is due to a problem with the female, when it truth it can be just as much a problem for the men.
For example, a male can be the cause of fertility problems because of weak sperm. Simply put, if sperm cannot reach the egg to fertilize it, conception cannot take place, now can it? Also, it could be that the male has a low sperm count, so the chances of the egg being fertilized become dramatically lower.
Whatever the case, it is very important that the man be checked first. Why? Because the tests that he will have to undergo are considerably less invasive than the ones needed for the female. If the male turns out to be the source of the problem, then he might have to take some medicine, or perhaps the couple will need to consider in vitro fertilization as one of their options.
As for what could be going wrong with the woman, it really could be a number of different things. For example, she might have endometriosis, which is a hardening of the uterus. Usually, such a problem can be fixed by medication. Whatever the situation, it is very important to note that the couple has a bunch of different ways that they can still have a biological child.
In addition to in vitro fertilization, there is also the option of artificial insemination, in which sperm is injected directly into the uterus. Or, if it has been determined that the woman cannot carry a fetus to term, then there is also the option of having a surrogate mother carry the fetus. Whatever the scenario, thanks to medical technology there are lots of ways that couple can still have a baby!