Infertility is a major reproductive issue that is faced by many. However, not many understand what infertility is, its causes, and its cures. Because of this, there are many myths surrounding infertility. That said, it is extremely important to learn how to differentiate facts from myths. One of the best ways to differentiate myths from facts is to learn more about them.
In this blog, we provide you with a list of common myths along with their facts so that you can know the difference between them. Besides this, we will briefly lighten your understanding of what infertility is, its type, and its causes. Now, considering this, let's begin.
Typically, infertility represents a type of disorder within the reproductive system that can happen both to men and women. You are deemed to be suffering from infertility when you constantly and consciously try to conceive a child but are unable to for the past year. This form of reproductive defect can affect both males and females. For males, it is characterized by defects in sperm quantity and quality, along with issues related to erection. On the other hand, it is marked by disruptions in menstrual cycles or defects in the ovaries, ova, and uterus for females. The good news here is that some causes of infertility are preventable. Furthermore, you can also use treatments such as IVF to circumvent this problem.
Now that you know what infertility is, let's discuss its types. The two main types of infertility are there. These two major primary types are:
Do note that while on paper, these types of infertility may sound only for women, the condition applies to those born as both males and females.
After knowing what infertility is and its types, let's discuss some of the key causes of infertility so that you can be prepared when we debunk some of the myths. The specific cause of infertility depends on the specifics of your health and lifestyle circumstances. Besides, the specific also depends on the gender in which you were born. That said, we can take out some of the key causes for both males and females. These key causes include:
These causes for men relate in a major way to erection, the quality of the sperm, and the quantity of the sperm. Apart from this, part of the cause can also be traced back to environmental factors, lifestyle choices, and genes. Considering these points, some major causes of infertility in males include the following:
As mentioned prior in our definition, infertility for women mostly has to do with their uterus and menstruation. These aside, a part of the cause for infertility can also be attributed to lifestyle choices and environmental factors as well. Keeping this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the key causes of infertility for women.
After getting the overall view of what infertility is, its causes, and its types, let’s now discuss some of the myths and their associated facts related to infertility. Now, note that these myths vary depending on the region you are in. The ones we mentioned here are just some of the common ones. Keeping this in mind, let’s look at some of the facts and myths about infertility.
One of the most common myths about infertility is that it affects women more than men. This is not true at all. While the signs of infertility are indeed more obvious for women, it affects men just as much as women. When it comes to infertility, roughly 40-50% is caused by male factor infertility. So before you jump to conclusions and deem that women are more likely to be infertile when compared to men, you should check your infertility facts and know the truth rather than believe in myths.
Another key infertility myth is that age does not play any form of role in infertility. This is a complete myth, as age is one of the key factors that determines infertility for both men and women. Although males do produce sperm for all their lives, their quality decreases with the increase in age. This is a key fact about male infertility that you should note. Besides age affecting male infertility, age also affects female infertility, as females only have a fixed amount of eggs. The more they age, the less eggs they have. Furthermore, similar to how age affects the sperm quality in men, it also affects the egg quality in females as well.
We previously provided you with a brief description of secondary infertility. Therefore, if you have read till this point, you should already be aware that secondary infertility is still possible. For those who skimmed, it is a type of infertility where you cannot get pregnant or conceive a child after a previous childbirth. Needless to say, it is just a myth that says once you have a child, you can always have the next one. This is because the fact remains that secondary infertility is always a possibility.
Besides the myths regarding secondary infertility, there is also a myth that goes something like “other medical conditions do not affect fertility” when, in fact, other medical conditions do contribute. Conditions like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, thyroid disorders, diabetes, and untreated sexually transmitted infections can all negatively impact fertility in both men and women.
Weight has nothing to do with fertility - according to some people and a popular myth. This cannot be further away from the truth, as being both underweight and overweight has deep and long-lasting effects on fertility. Being underweight and overweight can disrupt hormonal levels, which in turn can affect ovulation in women and sperm quality in men. This further results in infertility. So, if you want to be fertile, it is highly important to maintain a healthy body weight.
Besides managing your weight, you should also manage your smoking habits. Smoking is injurious to all aspects of health, including reproductive health as well. If anyone tells you that smoking does not contribute to infertility, they are believing in a myth. The chemicals you ingest while smoking can sharply reduce your reproductive urges and affect hormones associated with maintaining the quality of eggs and sperm. Furthermore, these chemicals can also directly harm egg and sperm quality. Smoking and infertility are linked as smoking leads to increased risks of miscarriage and pregnancy complications.
Along with smoking, the other most important feature that is usually neglected by most people is psychological factors. Extreme stress and tension disorders have been affecting the reproductive health of an individual. Besides this, depression, insomnia, and all forms of mental health engagement are considered some of the major factors that truly affect fertility. This is because these mental disorders are generally caused by either trauma or hormonal imbalance. Both of these factors can influence personnel to lead an unhealthy lifestyle and mess up their health, leading to infertility.
Another major myth regarding infertility is that it is hard to cure, but the treatments regarding infertility, such as IVF, have 100% success rates. Both these myths are just rumors because it is curable and treatments like IVF are not 100% successful, although these treatments do have high success rates, there is always some sort of risk of failure involved in these treatments.
Infertility treatments range widely from drugs and hormone treatment to surgical procedures and to assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF. The success of the treatment is related to the underlying cause of infertility, the age of the patient, and the overall treatment plan utilized. The last one would be Treatment Facts of Infertility; here, the common myth is that infertility treatments always work, or there is a guaranteed solution for every couple. That said, as earlier said, despite the high success rate prevalent in such sets of treatment, for instance, IVF; there is a margin of failure.
These are just some of the myths and facts associated with infertility. Besides the ones we mentioned here, there can be several other myths depending on your region and location. Regardless, we hope this was helpful to you in some way.
Infertility is a medical condition that is shrouded in mystery for many regular people. It is less understood than many other forms of health conditions. Therefore, there are many infertility myths. Few people even know what infertility is or that it has different types. Some of the common myths related to infertility are that it is not similarly suffered between males and females, age plays no role in it, and smoking does not cause infertility.
In this blog, we have provided a few most commonly held myths and facts about infertility. Also, we provided you with a small overview about infertility. We found this helpful, and hope you did too. You can certainly have more information about the different aspects of infertility by going through some other blogs on our website. As for the best options regarding infertility treatment in Nepal, Hardik IVF and Fertility Center is the place to be. Thanks for reading to the very end.
There are many facts that you might find interesting about infertility. Some of these facts include:
The three main causes of infertility include age, lifestyle factors, and genetic factors. Your fertility decreases with age, and if you live an unhealthy lifestyle, you can become infertile over time. Furthermore, if you carry specific genetic signatures, you can be born infertile or get infertile as you progress in age.
There can be several reasons why you find it hard to become pregnant. Some of the key factors include:
Yes, infertility can be cured. There are many cures for infertility, including but not limited to the following:
The top 5 myths about infertility include:
Some of the most common infertility issues include:
Both men and women have around a 40%-50% chance of being infertile. Therefore, both males and females are equally likely to be infertile.
The biggest factor in infertility is age, as women experience a significant decline in both egg quantity and quality after age 35, while men also see a gradual decrease in sperm quality as they age.