When scheduling infertility consultation with you OBGYN, you will be told to bring hubby with you. After all, he is a part of the equation in your pursuit for pregnancy. You will be sent for various testes to determine whether one or both or you have a medical problem which causes the lack of pregnancy.

About 10 percent of couples experience difficulty conceiving. 30 percent are due to a problem in the man, 30 percent are due to a problem in the woman, and the rest are due to problem in both or unexplained.

Problems in the man include:

Irregular sperm can be one of the causes in man to infertility. If a man has little to no sperm, poor sperm mobility or irregularly shaped sperm, it may not be able to fertilize the egg. There are no symptoms to irregular sperm. This can sometimes be solved with fertility drugs. If that is not the case, to achieve a pregnancy the couple man have to resort to artificial insemination or even donor sperm.

Some men have a blockage in their ejaculatory duct. This blockage prevents the sperm from getting into the ejaculate fluid, and therefore it never makes it to the egg. A blockage can be caused by an infection, congenital defects or an injury. There are no symptoms to this condition. It can be fixed with surgery.

Varicocele is when a man has enlarged veins in the scrotum, which raise the temperature in the testicle(s). this rise in temperature may affect sperm production, in number or shape or both. There are no symptoms to this condition. It may be fixed with surgery to repair the varicocele.

Problems in the woman include:

Ovulation problem is when a hormonal condition prevents the release of a mature egg from the ovaries. It may be characterized with no menstrual period, a very irregular one or an extremely light or heavy period. This condition may be resolved with fertility drugs or in vitro fertilization.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal imbalance that interferes with normal ovulation, due to the small follicles in the ovaries not developing into mature follicles. It may be characterized with irregular menstrual period, obesity, acne and excessive hair growth. It can be solved with changes in lifestyle including diet and exercise or with fertility drugs and in vitro fertilization.

Endometriosis is when uterine lining tissue grows outside your uterus, such as in the abdominal-pelvic cavity. You may have no symptoms or experience painful menstrual period and pelvic pain. This condition can be resolved with fertility drugs, surgery to remove tissue or artificial insemination.

Poor egg quality usually results in the lack of a pregnancy, since damaged eggs cannot sustain a pregnancy. Other than the lack of a pregnancy, there are no symptoms to poor egg quality. One solution to achieve pregnancy is in vitro fertilization with donor eggs.

Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes prevent the sperm from making its way to the egg, and prevent the fertilized egg from getting to your uterus. Causes to blocked or damaged fallopian tubes include pelvic inflammatory disease and sexually transmitted diseases such as Chlamydia. There are no symptoms to this condition. It can be fixed with surgery to open the tubes or in vitro fertilization.

Less than 2 percent of woman suffer from sperm allergy. A solution to this case is artificial insemination or assisted reproductive technologies (ART).

Problems in one or both partners may include:

You may be diagnosed with unexplained fertility problem, if all test results (for both of you) show no medical reason for your infertility. This may be overcome with fertility drugs or artificial insemination or a combination of the two.

If both of you have fertility problems, you will be diagnosed with combined fertility problems. Symptoms and treatment vary according to the diagnosis.

Here are factors that may affect your ability to ovulate, conceive, or carry a pregnancy to term:

Body fat – excessive or very low body fat can be a factor in conception problems or pregnancy complications.
A Chronic diseases such as lupus, diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, or asthma, and/or the drugs used to treat them can lead to a harder time conceiving and may affect your pregnancy and need to be closely monitored by your healthcare provider.
Abnormal Pap smears that have resulted in surgical treatment such as cryosurgery or cone biopsy should be discussed with your doctor, preferably prior to becoming pregnant.
If your mother took DES while she was pregnant with you, speak to your doctor, this fact may affect size or shape of your uterus.
Hormonal imbalance such as periods exceeding six days, unusually short or long cycles, irregular cycles, very heavy periods, excessive facial hair, breast discharge, or acne on face, neck, and back should all be discussed with your OBGYN to pinpoint and / or eliminate possible risks.
History of multiple miscarriages is information your doctor most likely already knows about unless it is a new doctor to you, in which case you should discuss your history in full and plan together for a successful pregnancy in the future.
Environmental factors such as cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, or exposure to workplace hazards or toxins are all known as potential risks before and during pregnancy. Do your best to eliminate or at the very least minimize your exposure.

It is important to do your best to lead a healthy lifestyle for a good quality of life throughout your entire life, but when trying to conceive/planning a pregnancy, it is even more important to care for your body properly for it is going to be where your baby grows for nine months.

Also called seminal plasma hypersensitivity, it can cause an allergic woman to develop hives, swollen eyes, diarrhea and even breathing difficulties and/or loss of consciousness within thirty minutes after unprotected intercourse. A mild sperm allergy may include itchiness, redness, irritation and skin swelling, usually in the outer genital area. Infertility can also be a symptom of sperm allergy; in the sense that a woman’s immune system is attacking and disabling sperm cells when they get inside her as a means to protect her body from the allergy.

Semen allergy can contribute to fertility problems in two known ways. The first is the woman’s wish to avoid the allergic reaction by refusing unprotected sex (the traditional way to conceive). The second is the internal reaction of an allergic woman to the sperm cells, which can reduce her chances of conception quite significantly. Her immune system will produce antibodies to attack the proteins in the sperm, as if the proteins were germs that are harmful to her body. These antibodies can damage the sperm cells’ mobility, restricting them from making their way to the fallopian tubes where they might stand a chance of fertilizing an egg.

Mild sperm allergy can be ‘treated’ with desensitization treatment. This type of treatment involves going to the doctor several times over a period of weeks, each time having a small sample of her partner’s sperm placed inside her vagina. The doctor will increase the amount gradually until the woman is able to tolerate having unprotected sex with her partner. The goal is to allow the couple to conceive naturally without experiencing too much discomfort for the woman.

A woman with a severe sperm allergy will require a more radical treatment. That includes women who experience severe allergic reactions to sperm or whose antibodies attack sperm cells. Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) are two methods of artificial insemination used to help such women to get pregnant. Both fertility treatments involve sperm washing before inserting the sperm into the uterus. Sperm washing removes the proteins from the sperm cells, which causes the allergic reaction.

Allergy to sperm is more common than imagined, therefore if you believe to have symptoms that may indicate this sort of an allergy, consult your physician for more information.

• Control your weight. Get as close to your ideal weight as possible. Obesity and/or underweight can affect your baby’s health as well as your chances to conceive.
• This is the time to quit smoking. Avoiding secondhand smoke is important as well, and this is not the time to take chances. Smoking can cause birth defects, premature birth and low birth weight. It also increases risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and asthma.
• Stop drinking alcohol. Fetal alcohol syndrome can cause serious birth defects and learning disabilities.
• Quit recreational drugs. They all have an adverse effect on your baby – some can cause permanent brain damage and/or severe birth defects.
• Talk to your healthcare provider about prescription medications you are taking. Some drugs for heart disorders, blood thinners and some medications for depression, anxiety and other emotional disorders are not to be taken while pregnant.
• Start taking prenatal vitamins, including folic acid, calcium and other nutrients. They are important to a healthy pregnancy and baby, and are recommended three months before conception.
• Talk to your OBGYN about genetic testing you may need to consider depending on ethnicity and family health history.
• Find out your HIV status. HIV-positive women can spare their babies from contracting the disease if they are aware of their HIV status before delivery.

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Well, it isn’t. Secondary infertility is found in about 20% of women and is most common among women who have waited with pregnancy till their 30’s or 40’s, when fertility declines. Secondary infertility is the inability to conceive after successfully and naturally conceiving one or more children. Causes for secondary infertility may be similar to those of primary infertility (childless couple who are unable to conceive).

There are a variety of reasons why secondary infertility may occur.  Since your last pregnancy, you or your partner may have had an infection, gained some weight, or started eating fewer healthy foods. These minor changes in your lifestyle can have grave repercussions on your reproductive health. Also your egg quality may have begun to decrease (natural process as you get older) or your partner’s sperm may not be what it once was during his youthful years. Abnormalities with sperm and ejaculation are frequently cited as causes of secondary infertility.

Luckily, there is a lot you can do to increase your chances to conceive for the second, third (or more) time. First, you should start taking prenatal vitamins. Folic acid and iron have been proven to improve fertility. Knowing when you are ovulating is crucial. If your cycle is regular, (28-30 days) have sex on days 10-14 (start the count on the first day of your period). Using an ovulation kit can be beneficial to zero in on the exact days you are ovulating.

Age is a factor when getting pregnant. If you’re 35 or older and have been trying to conceive for more than six months, speak to your OBGYN, who will most likely run some tests to see what the root of the problem is. Avoid Antihistamines and vitamin C supplements. They dry out the cervical fluid that helps sperm find its way to your egg.  Lubricants can block sperm’s path and should also be avoided. Stress, though hard to control, should be minimized and some ways to overcome stress is to do something fun, laugh, take a relaxing hot bath, pamper yourself to a massage or go on a getaway weekend with your partner. Whatever calms you down, do it!

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Ironically, stress can keep you from getting pregnant. But how can you not be stressed when all you can think about is pregnancy and the fact that you are still not pregnant? What a paradox! What can you do? Rather than forcing yourself to relax, try watching a comedy show, a funny movie or a silly sitcom that makes you laugh every day.  As they saying goes, laughter can be the best medicine.

Getting pregnant is not just a woman’s problem. Male fertility factors contribute to approximately 40% of all infertility cases. For men, many medications to control a chronic condition can have a harmful effect on fertility. Have your partner check the facts and side effects of medications he is using and if they decrease his fertility, he may want to consider temporarily stopping those meds or find different alternatives that do not cause infertility.  Before making those decisions, you should consult your physician.

Using the wrong lubrication when you are having intercourse can spoil your chances of getting pregnant. Most store-bought lubricants, Vaseline and KY jell damage the quality of sperm. If you are using any of the above lubricants, you may be reducing your chances to conceive by about 50%. Instead, you can use egg white or Pre-Seed as lubricants, or increase your natural lubrication with foreplay.

Vitamin C can be used to increase or decrease your fertility depending on the dosage. With small intakes of vitamin C, you can actually increase the amount of cervical fluid, which is important for transporting the sperm to your cervix and on to your uterus, where it will eventually meet up with your egg. Too much Vitamin C can dry up the cervical fluid. A proper dose is around 500mg-1000mg a day.

Good luck!

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We are taught to never have unprotected sex, in order to avoid an unwanted pregnancy. Although, it is a good way to avoid an unwanted pregnancy as well as sexually transmitted diseases, it leads to misconceptions of the actual chances of conception. Here are some facts you may want to take into consideration while planning to conceive. Don’t be discouraged, but have patience.

After getting off birth control pills it can (but doesn’t have to) take a little while before you become pregnant. Some healthcare providers say that your body needs to ‘clean itself out off the hormones’, while others say there is no truth to this statement. Regardless of which of the two you choose to believe, be aware that you may not conceive the month following termination of your birth control pills. This is not an indication for a problem. Take your time and continue trying.

Stress is a major factor in delayed conception. When trying to get pregnant, try to avoid stress in your life. If you exercise, continue to do so, or find another way to relax. Stressing over the coveted pregnancy that does not happen can delay it as well. Plan a romantic getaway for two and try to ‘let it happen’ rather than force it on.

To get pregnant faster, you certainly need to have frequent sex, preferably before you ovulate (after which it is too late for this month. But no worries, there is always next month). Sperm can live for three to five days in your body, which means you can have sex even several days before you ovulate and still conceive.

To increase your chances of conception, start having sex every day (or every other day) on the 10^th day of your cycle (start counting on the first day of your period). Try to keep stress levels in your life low, especially does related to whether or not you become pregnant, but also at work, home, etc. Eat healthy and exercise and do not get discouraged if it takes longer than desired. Most couples will achieve a pregnancy within the first 12-18 months. After 12 months, you can speak to your ob/gyn about other options for you and your partner.

Best of luck! And stay positive. Attitude does make a difference!

Planed or not, a pregnancy needs “just the right conditions”. Even if one variable is out of line, there will be no pregnancy.

Before you seek medical help, make sure you have been trying for a minimum of 12 months unsuccessfully. It can take up to 18 months or more for a fertile couple to conceive. ‘What’s the delay?’ Well, it can be any one or a combination of reasons. First you need to ask yourself how often and when you have intercourse. Be true to yourself. If you have sex once a month, your chances of hitting just the right day and time are slim. A woman is ovulating usually between the 10^th and 21^st day of her menstrual cycle, which means you want to make sure you are sexually active during these days.

If all else hasn’t proven successful (and you are not yet pregnant), you can now make a consultation appointment with your OB/GYN. This appointment is for the both of you, so take your partner in crime (aka hubby) with you.

Infertility may be caused by one or more reasons, it can occur with you, your partner, or the combination of the two of you. Fortunately, there are ways to diagnose the cause and depending on the result, there may very well be a solution at hand. But before you concern yourself with alternate possibilities to overcoming infertility, speak to your doctor and see if you should consider having a consult.

No matter what, keep having sex! That’s your safest bet for conceiving..

Ovulation can occur anywhere between day 10 to day 21 of the cycle. Since there is no accurate way to predict the day of ovulation, it is suggested to have sex every day starting day 10 of your cycle when you are trying to conceive. Some experts say that semen can live in your body up to 3-5 days from ejaculation, so even if you miss the actual day of ovulation, you may still have a chance to conceive.

There are tools to help you determine when you are ovulating. Tracking the date of ovulation can be helpful in allowing you and your partner to plan ahead when trying to conceive. One of the tools available in the market today is the basal thermometer, which checks your temperature upon awakening in the morning to help you predict ovulation. Another tool to tracking ovulation is the ovulation kits and fertility monitors, which checks luteinizing hormone levels in the urine to help predict ovulation.

Remember that the key to conception is intercourse. If you only have sex once a month, your chances to hit the right day and time are slimmer than if you are actively trying more frequently. So before you run to the store to buy a handful of product to track your ovulation, maybe you want to make sure you are really giving it a good try on your own.

Good luck!

If you are on the pill and are planning to get pregnant, this is the time to stop taking them. It may be a few months before you conceive, for your body needs some time to cleanse itself from the hormones before it is ready for a pregnancy. So take that into consideration, but remember there is no guarantee either way.

It will be a year of actively trying unsuccessfully to conceive before a doctor will see you for an infertility consultation. One thing you will be asked (obviously) is how often you… have sex, and when in relations to your menstrual period (timing is everything!). You are not ovulating every day. Learn about your cycle to have a better understanding of when is the best time to conceive.

It goes without saying that you need to have sex in order to conceive. Once or twice a month can work for the extremely fertile (or lucky), but will not do the trick for most woman. Yes, it does take one successful and well timed try, but since we often don’t know when the exact time of ovulation is, it may take many tries (men usually don’t mind having to try more oftenJ).

Most fertility specialists will recommend to actively start trying 10 days after the first day or your period. Some say everyday, others recommend every other day (to allow for a higher sperm count). Whichever recommendation you receive, try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Remember that stress alone can affect your body and mind.

Most couples will get pregnant within 12-18 months of actively trying. Be true to yourselves about how long you really have been trying and do not panic if it has been a while. Speak to your OB/GYN and ask for a referral to a fertility specialist. Sometimes you just need a little help to get there.