The Truth About Infertility

Infertility is the inability to conceive; it may be remedied. However, should the conditions persist, it is referred to as sterility.

In the United States, one out of every 8 to 10 couples are childless because of infertility; it is a major medical and social problem. Both husband and wife are urged to seek medical attention for complete examinations and evaluation, since almost as many men as women cause a sterile marriage.

It is usually recommended that the male be evaluated first, because tests for the female are more expensive and time-consuming. Such tests may require the services of a urologist, gynecologist, endocrinologist, and internist.

In the female, the organs of reproduction and the glands influencing them are evaluated. Among the causative factors may be displacement and tumors of the uterus, genital infantilism, and inflammation. To allow fertilization of an ovum, it is necessary that the vagina, cervix, and uterus to be patent and have mucosal secretions receptive to the sperm. Semen is alkaline, as is cervical secretion; normal vaginal secretion is acid.

Treatment is directed towards correcting the deficiencies encountered in the individual patient. The following tests assist the gynecologist in delimiting the problem.

1. Rubin test

This procedure is to determine the potency of the fallopian tubes by introducing carbon dioxide through a sterile canula into the uterus, into the tubes, and into the peritoneal cavity.

By listening with a stethoscope on the abdomen, the physician may hear the gas swishing into the abdomen. If the pressure gauge reaches 200 mm. of a mercury, an occlusion may be suspected.

2. Salpinogram; Hysterosalpingogram

A radiopaque substance is often used to determine the site of tubal obstruction; an x-ray picture then shows the outline of the tubal lumen.

3. Hubner test

Within an hour or two after intercourse, the physician aspirates cervical secretions with a long cannula. The woman is to be instructed not to void, bathe, or douche between coitus and the examination; a perineal pad is worn until she is placed in ?lithotomy position? in the examining room. Aspirated material is placed on a slide and examined under microscope for presence and viability of sperm cells.

Treatment

The treatment of sterility is a difficult matter, because it may be caused by a combination of several factors. Efforts are made to build up the general health of the patient, supplying lacking glandular hormones as indicated.

Operative treatments include removal of obstructions and plastic operations to restore tubal potency. Unfortunately, these are not too successful; in addition, there is a high incidence of tubal pregnancy following such operations.

The psychic and social factors of infertility must not be overlooked. Among some religious groups and nationalities, it is important to have blood descendants; adopting children is not acceptable in these families.

In other family groups, the man?s virility, or woman?s femininity are suspected when a couple fails to have children. Many pregnancies have occurred after an infertile couple has adopted a child, moved to another location, or the husband had a change of jobs.

All of these things indicate that the concepts behind infertility are not absolute and concrete. There are instances that the information about this particular problem may have underlying causes that should not be blamed on the inability of the person to conceive.

Boiled down, the problem on infertility is more of a social problem than a biological problem. It is not the aspect of not being able to conceive that persons involved are hesitant to disclose the matter.

If it is more than just biological malady, then, it requires tough solutions.
Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides infertility resources on www.your-infertility-resource.info.

Female Infertility and Lifestyle Choices

There is a growing concern about fertility in the whole industrialized world today. Almost 14% of couples have infertility problems. There is a fear that infertility is on the increase and about 40-50% of these problems are associated with the woman. It is amazing to note, however, that there are many things that can affect reproductive health, that we as humans have control over. Lifestyle choices like smoking, alcohol consumption, caffeine healthy/unhealthy eating habits, weight, sexual practices and so forth all have impact on fertility and it is within our ability to control all these.

Most women are unaware as to how important these choices can be with regard to future attempts to conceive. It will be in order to examine these lifestyle choices and how much they affect our reproductive health.

*Weight Problems
Over/Under weight On both sides of the scale, body weight plays a vital role in fertility. Obesity has been associated with infertility and menstrual irregularities. Women who are overweight but without Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) suffer the same problems with ovulation and menstrual anomalies as women with PCOS and in most cases, this is found to be inexplicable medically. But it has been shown that group treatment programs that help obese women with diets and exercise plans have caused a return of fertility in many patients. In overweight women with ovulation and menstrual irregularity, a weight loss of 6.5kg (15lbs) has been shown to restore normal ovulation. Therefore, it is believed that the improvement in insulin resistance achieved with the weight loss has more to do with restoring ovulation than the actual amount of weight loss itself. Several studies have shown that a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 23-30 is considered overweight and a BMI above 30 is said to be obese.

Just as overweight is bad for fertility, extreme underweight has also been shown to cause ovulatory dysfunction and thus infertility. In a woman with anideal body weight (BMI of 20-25) a moderate weight loss of 10-15% can cause menstrual irregularity and a weight gain in such underweight women has also been shown to restore ovulation and pregnancy in most cases. A BMI of 17.5-20 is considered underweight and below 17.5 is severely underweight.

*Smoking
Over the years, several reports have consistently reiterated that smoking decreases fertility.

Smokers suffer a risk of menopause1.5-3 years earlier than normal, decreased oestrogen with breakthrough bleeding and a shortened luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. All these suggest that smoking exerts some toxic effects on the follicles directly. Also, nicotine, a component of cigarette smoke has been shown to concentrate in cervical mucous and the metabolites have also been found in the follicular fluid. This is believed to be responsible for delayed follicular growth and maturation in smokers. Smoking is also associated with an increased incidence of ectopic pregnancy and an increased spontaneous abortion rate which also suggests it affects the uterine tubes and tubal motility.

*Delayed Childbearing
Civilization also comes with its consequences. It is common to see women in industrialized nations delaying childbearing to pursue educational and career opportunities till later years.

What most women in this regard do not realize is that aging brings with it many effects that affect almost every part of the body and the reproductive system is not left out. Some of the effects of age on fertility include:

- Depletion, over time, of the ovarian follicles affecting menstrual and ovulatory regularity - endometriosis has more time to produce scarring of the ovaries and tubes, reducing free movement of these organs. It can even take the place of the ovarian follicular tissues, if ovarian endometriosis persists and grows.

- Fibroids can slowly grow causing endometrial bleeding that can disrupt implantation sites or even distort the endometrial cavity which affects the ability to carry pregnancy in the early stages.

- Abdominal adhesions from other intra abdominal surgery or ruptured ovarian cysts can also affect tubal motility, required to sweep the ovaries and gather an ovulated egg.

*Alcohol and infertility
The total effects of alcohol consumption on fertility may not be clear, but what is known for certain is that alcohol abuse does constitute a risk of infertility. In a survey, women with high alcohol use reported more menstrual and gynaecological surgery. Alcohol has also been shown to alter oestrogen and progesterone levels and also cause anovulation (menstruation without ovulation). But what is not clear, however, is how much alcohol consumption is bad for fertility, or alternatively, how much is safe. It is established that during pregnancy, an average of 2drinks per day or more can produce foetal alcohol syndrome birth defects. Another study showed that a consumption of more than 100gram of alcohol a week (1drink per day) is associated with 60% increase in ovulation difficulties.

Also, increased caffeine consumption has been shown to affect the ability to become pregnant and carry the pregnancy. This is because caffeine clearance from the body is decreased during the luteal phase. Animal and human research data also show an increased risk of spontaneous abortions with increased caffeine use and a decreased foetal growth during pregnancy with increased caffeine intake. Consumption of three or less servings of coffee per day may be harmless, but more than this amount i.e. greater than 300mg per day may lead to fertility problems.

Women with Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) stand a greater risk of infertility and untreated STDs especially gonorrhoea and chlamydia, are the major cause of PID.

The choices we make everyday have a positive or negative impact on our ability to conceive.

Decide to make the right decisions today and enjoy a better reproductive health.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Infertility

God's Supernatural Miracle of Healing Infertility

In 2002, while taking a break at work, I found myself in the middle of a discussion about abortion. There were about five women joining in the discussion.

A few of the ladies were pro-choice; the others (including myself) were pro-life. One of the women in particular (I won't use her real name, but I'll call her Nicole) was extremely pro-choice.

Nicole voiced her opinion about pro-choice with fervency in attempts to convince everyone- abortion is a woman's right. She explained to everyone how women must have the right to choose what they do with their own bodies. I was about six months pregnant with my third daughter at the time, so of course, I disagreed with Nicole. I told her I thought abortion was wrong. Still, Nicole made the arguments about women who are raped or women who couldn't afford to take care of a child. I considered Nicole one of my closest friends, so I finally gave up and stopped arguing with her. I was surprised to hear her views on abortion though.

Three months later, when it was time for my baby to be born, there was a tragic accident. My baby was entangled in the umbilical cord and delivered as a stillborn.

A few days later, we had her funeral at my church. Several people attended the funeral including a police chaplain, three pastors, teachers from my other daughters' school, many old friends, relatives, and several people from work. I think Nicole had to work that day, because she wasn't there.

Returning to work about a month later, (I took off work about a month to recover from the loss) I saw Nicole again. At break time, Nicole and I went outside (even though it was cold and rainy) to "talk". I relived the events of my baby's death for her by explaining the details. When Nicole heard the story of my heartbreak, she opened up with tears, and confessed she once had an abortion when she was seventeen years old. When I asked why, she said, "When my mother found out I was pregnant, she said -Nicole, You Are Not Going To Keep That Baby". Because Nicole was living with her mother at the time, she submitted to her mother and went to a clinic to have the abortion.

Nicole then told me doctors had advised her since her abortion, she would never be able to have another child. The abortion had permanently damaged her body.

Nicole was now twenty-seven years old and wanted a child, but knew in her heart it was impossible. I tried to encourage her, prayed for her and advised her to seek God.

About three months later, upon arrival to work, I noticed Nicole wasn't there. I asked some of the women if they knew where she was. To my astonishment, the women (who were noticeably excited) informed me Nicole had called into work. They said she had just found out she was pregnant. They also said she was rejoicing and giving praises to God, but at the same time experiencing some morning sickness.

Overjoyed, I remembered Nicole pouring her heart out to me that cold day during her confession. I believe God heard her confession that day, gave her forgiveness and healed her body all at the same time. When the due date arrived, Nicole gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

Nicole's story reminds me of the scripture from 1 John 1:8-9 that says, "If we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

To see a picture of Renae Patterson and/or read more inspiring articles by this author, go to http://www.christianwomandaily.com and click on the "Editor's Personal Notebook" link.

Female Infertility

Infertility is a situation faced by many couples worldwide when they are unable to conceive. According to a survey in America, around 10% of couples bear the brunt of infertility. Usually when a couple is not able to conceive, the female partner is generally blamed, but the reality is that both the partners are equally responsible. Here we discuss female infertility which accounts for 60% of the cases across the globe.

Causes of Infertility

* Age is one of the main causes of female infertility. Women above the age of 35 have more chances of being affected by infertility because of higher rate if chromosomal changes occurring in the body.

* Fat accumulated in a woman's body may also lead to cause of infertility. Either too low weight or excessive weight can affect the ability to conceive caused by irregular estrogen balance in the body.

* Irregular menstrual cycles, eating disorders, smoking, drinking, caffeine, lifestyle factors, exposure to high temperatures, toxic chemicals may also lead to this cause.

* Pelvic inflammatory disease that affects the reproductive system of a woman causing infection in the fallopian tubes. Some develop antibodies to sperm, which cause infertility.

* Ovulation problems are caused due to hormonal disorders and are one of the major reasons accounting for around one third of the cases.

* Endometriosis is a disorder when fragments of the endometrial lining are implanted in other areas of the pelvis leading to cysts that can result in infertility in women.

* Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a major cause of infertility in women characterized by high levels of male hormones - androgen and testosterone

Prevention

Some of the medical treatments that women can undergo are:

* Fertility Drugs: In this, a woman has to inject a special drug to cause ovulation.

* Intrauterine insemination: The sperms are directly injected into the woman's uterus.

* In vitro fertilization: The egg is fertilized with the sperm in a lab and the fertilized embryo is implanted into the uterus.

* Donor eggs: In women who cannot produce viable eggs, eggs from another woman's ovaries are fertilized by the man and then transferred to the infertile woman's uterus.

Infertility is a tough situation for women. Many of them conclude that they can't conceive, but that is not true. At times it takes long to conceive and even if then one is not able to, and then these medical aids are there to help one out of these difficult situations.

Jenifer D'souza is an amateur writer to www.finegenerics.com providing information on all health related topics or on the latest health topics.

Male Infertility and Glutathione

Male Infertility and Glutathione

 by: Priya Shah

Are You Half The Man Your Father Was?

It is a well-known fact that sperm counts have dropped by half in the last 50 years, and that modern men have 20 percent less semen volume than their fathers (BMJ, 1992, volume 305).

A recent report from researchers in Aberdeen presented preliminary data that suggests the sperm concentration of the men seen in their clinic had declined by 29% over the past 14 years. (British Fertility Society; 5 January 2004)

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and endocrine-disrupting chemicals from normal, everyday plastics are known to cause reproductive damage, as documented in Theo Colborn's book "Our Stolen Future."

Damage to sperm caused by exposure to common chemicals like alcohol, pesticides in food, has been linked to lowered intelligence and behavioral disorders in children.

Lifestyle risk factors known to decrease sperm quality include

• Cigarette smoking

• Alcohol consumption

• Chronic stress

• Nutritional deficiencies.

Other reasons for infertility include congenital factors, and health conditions like prostatitis and diabetes that can affect sperm production.

Pollution is stealing our future, and there's little anyone can do to avoid it. There may not be a lot you can do to reduce your exposure to persistent environmental toxins.

But there are definite measures you can take to reduce the impact of the environmental pollutants and toxins on your body.

You can prevent and, to a certain extent, repair the damage they cause to your body, through a better lifestyle and nutrition.

Some nutritional therapies and antioxidants that have proven beneficial in treating male infertility and improving sperm counts, sperm morphology and motility include:

• Carnitine

• Arginine

• Zinc

• Selenium

• Vitamin B-12

• Vitamin C

• Vitamin E

• Glutathione

• Coenzyme Q10

Studies show that anti-oxidant supplementation - glutathione in particular - can improve sperm quality, and possibly increase your chances of conceiving.

If you smoke, drink, are exposed to stress, chemicals, radiation, pesticides or take medication or drugs (like sulfasalazine, ketoconazole, azulfidine, anabolic steroids, marijuana) that affect fertility, you should consider taking an antioxidant supplement to reverse some of the damage.

Why are Antioxidants Important for Sperm Quality?

Mammalian spermatozoa are coated by a membrane rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids are extremely susceptible to oxidative damage by free radicals or Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) by a process called lipid peroxidation (LPO).

Lipid peroxidation damages the sperm cell membrane. It is considered to be the key mechanism of ROS-induced sperm damage and leads to

• Loss of sperm motility

• Abnormal sperm morphology

• Reduced capacity for oocyte penetration

• Infertility

To protect sperm from damage, the body depends on powerful antioxidant enzymes in the body such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase/reductase (GPX/GRD).

Seminal plasma and spermatozoa have several antioxidant enzymes - glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase.

Some amount of all the antioxidant enzymes, which may protect spermatozoa from oxidative attack, are also made by the epididymis during storage.

The glutathione peroxidase/reductase enzymes play a central role in the defense against oxidative damage in human sperm.

Why is Glutathione important for Sperm Quality and Fertility?

A decrease in levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) during sperm production is known to disrupt the membrane integrity of spermatozoa due to increased oxidative stress.

Intracellular glutathione levels of spermatozoa are known to be decreased in certain populations of infertile men. Compared with a control group, the infertile men in all groups had significantly higher levels of ROS and lower levels of total antioxidants.

There is strong clinical evidence to show that men diagnosed with infertility have high levels of oxidative stress that may impair the quality of their sperm.

In some groups, higher levels of ROS were associated with lower sperm counts and defective sperm structure, while lower antioxidant levels correlated with reduced sperm movement.

Previous evidence has also shown that oxidative stress can decrease a sperm's life span, its motility, and its ability to penetrate the oocyst, or egg cell.

Up to 40% of men with unexplained male infertility have higher levels of free radical activity in their bodies.

Because men with high levels of ROS have a seven-fold lower likelihood of inducing a pregnancy than men with lower levels, researchers recommend that treatment for infertile men should include strategies to reduce oxidative stress and improve sperm quality.

How can Glutathione help in the Treatment of Infertility?

Glutathione is not only vital to sperm antioxidant defenses, but selenium and glutathione are essential to the formation of "phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase" - an enzyme present in spermatids - which becomes a structural protein in the mid-piece of mature spermatozoa.

When either substance is deficient, it can lead to instability of the mid-piece of the spermatozoa, resulting in defective motility.

Free radical scavengers - such as glutathione - that restore the structure and function of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the cell membrane, can be used to treat these cases.

In a double-blind cross-over study of twenty infertile men, treatment with glutathione led to a statistically significant improvement of the sperm quality.

The study concerned men in whom the sperm quality was poor due to unilateral varicocele or germ-free genital tract inflammation - two conditions in which ROS or other toxic compounds are indicated as causative factors.

Treatment with glutathione was also found to have a statistically significantly positive effect on sperm motility (in particular forward motility) and on sperm morphology.

The findings of these studies indicate that glutathione therapy could represent a possible therapeutical tool in cases where ROS or exposure to toxins is the probable cause of infertility.

Read the complete report with references on Male Infertility and Glutathione

http://www.1whey2health.com/glutathione_infertility_sperm.htm

Copyright © 2004 Priya Shah

Priya Shah is the Editor of "The Glutathione Report" For regular updates on the health benefits of glutathione subscribe here http://www.glutathione-report.com. For a free report on Glutathione in Health and Disease visit http://www.1whey2health.com

 

Infertility and Pregnancy

When a couple is unable to conceive a child, it is the couple's problem, and not the fault of one partner or the other. Female issues are the most common reasons cited, but some studies suggest that up to 40% of infertility is caused by one or more reasons originating with the male partner.

For men, the problem can only be from one source- the sperm. However, that can involve a variety of difficulties from low sperm count, to poor motility, or abnormal shape/structure of the sperm. In many instances the cause of the sperm difficulties are idiopathic, with no known reason. Some issues may be a result of a past illness, current drug therapy, personal habits such as drinking and smoking, or varicocele veins. Recommendations for improving things like sperm count, include looser clothing around the genitals, eliminating hot baths or hot tubs, giving up alcohol and smoking, and stress reduction.

For women, the difficulties are more varied, and cover a range of functions and issues within her reproductive system. She may have ovulation problems that are due to problems with the thyroid gland, hormone imbalance, and physical or emotional stress. The cervix can also be a cause for concern, either through narrowing, acidic mucous, or a literal sperm allergy. Her uterus may be harboring cysts, fibroids, and polyps, or she may have endometriosis, a condition where tissue from inside the womb, has attached itself somewhere in the abdomen, possibly blocking or restricting normal function of the fallopian tubes and ovaries.

Even when a couple has taken all the recommended tests, some 10% remain infertile, for no known reasons. For them, hormonal fertility treatment or in vitro fertilization, may be viable options for having a family.

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