Infertility is an insidious enemy that affects both men and women. It often attacks with no warning, strike it’s victims and leave them perplexed, angry and sad. It is important to keep in mind that infertility or it’s symptoms doesn’t define a male or female. Reproductive Sciences Medical Center & Fertility Clinic – San Diego, California brings you the insight details about the various infertility diagnosis available for males and females.
Infertility Affects Both Male and Female
In the United States, approximately 6% of couples who want to get pregnant either can’t conceive or can’t continue a pregnancy to term. The ratio breaks down to:
- one-third of these cases are due to infertility in women,
- one-third are due to male infertility,
- the final one-third are infertility in both partners or it attributes to unknown causes.
Now the question is, how to diagnose infertility? The average age of first time mothers in the U.S. is now 26.3 years. A key component of infertility in women is age. So, another question that comes to mind is what can people, especially women, do to preserve their fertility? Here are a few answers.
How to Diagnose Female Infertility?
If a woman under 35 is unable to conceive after a year of unprotected sex, or 6 months if she’s over 35, then it’s time to have her fertility checked. This testing will include:
- Ovulation Testing: There are ovulation tests that women can use at home to time intercourse. If the OTC test doesn’t give concrete results, or the woman has been using one without results, there are also blood tests doctors can run. Such tests look for the progesterone spike that occurs after ovulation.
- Hysterosalpingography: A contrast dye is injected into the uterus. An X-ray will to detect abnormalities in the uterine cavity. This test can also determine whether the fluid passes out of the uterus and spills out of the fallopian tubes.
- Ovarian Reserve Testing: A series of blood and imaging tests that help determine the quality and quantity of eggs available for ovulation. This test is usually used for women over 35 who are more likely to have a low ovarian reserve.
- Hormone Testing: Test to check levels of ovulatory, thyroid and pituitary hormones that control reproduction.
- Imaging Test: Pelvic ultrasound that looks for uterine or fallopian tube disease.
How to Diagnose Male Infertility?
Men are usually undergo fertility check-ups at the same time as their female partner. Age doesn’t play as much of a factor in male fertility as it does in female fertility. It is because men continually produce new sperm from the time they hit puberty. The first round of testing for men involves:
- Urinalysis: to check for infection.
- Semen evaluation: It assess sperm motility, the shape and maturity of the sperm, the volume of the ejaculate. It also measures the sperm count and the liquidity of the ejaculate.
- Hormonal tests: It evaluates levels of testosterone and FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone). It helps to determine the overall balance of the hormonal system.
Generally, it is possible to diagnose the male infertility problem after the first round of testing. If the problem isn’t obvious after the first round of testing, more advanced testing might be necessary.
These tests can include: seminal fructose test, post-ejaculate urinalysis, semen leukocyte analysis, Kruger and world health organization (WHO) morphology, anti-sperm antibodies test, sperm penetration assay (SPA), ultrasound, testicular biopsy, vasography, and genetic testing.
How Do You Preserve Fertility?
While women can’t preserve their fertility indefinitely, practicing a healthy lifestyle will help them to not lower their fertility prematurely. The majority of these lifestyle practices affect male infertility problems as well, just not as strongly. These practices include:
- Not smoking.
- Limiting alcohol intake.
- Eating more plant-based protein.
- Maintaining a healthy weight.
- Exercising regularly.
- Treating any ailments, especially sexually transmitted diseases, immediately.
- Make sure to control any fertility-sapping health issues properly. Such issues can be diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or endometriosis.
- Being aware of the age at which first degree relatives (mothers, sisters) went through menopause. Age of menopause is genetically linked. If your mother went through menopause before age 40 you need to inform your health care provider. Such hereditary is likely to affect infertility treatment plan.
Fortunately, Most Male & Female Infertility are Treatable
Fertility centers can treat most causes of infertility because they have a wide range of therapies to choose from. A full-service, inclusive medical center will have everything in one place for both the male and female infertility treatment. This ensures that your care will be coordinated with a minimum of hassle. When researching fertility centers, it’s always a good idea to see if they belong to The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART). SART is the primary organization of professionals that dedicates to the practice of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in the United States. It registers 95% of the IVF cycles. Their site includes statistics for all the fertility centers registered with them along with a handy search tool. Many San Diego based fertility centers along with clinics in the rest of the California and U.S. are SART members so there’s no reason to use a facility that isn’t.
Infertility is a problem for both men and women. Fortunately, you can overcome the majority of male & female infertility problems can be overcome by full-service fertility centers such as RSMC – San Diego. So, if you’re having trouble conceiving start the infertility work-up process. It’s your best chance to achieve the family you’ve been dreaming about for so long.
Call at 858-436-7186or email to info@fertile.comto schedule a Consultation
