Infertility: Causes, Types & Treatment Options - Essay Sample

Introduction

Infertility is defined as the inability to bear children after trying to conceive for about a year. It iInfertility is categorized into two main parts; primary and secondary infertility.

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Primary infertility occurs when a woman has never conceived while secondary infertility occurs when a woman had previously conceived but is unable to conceive again. Cases of infertility have become very common with about one of every six couples suffering from the condition. It has, therefore, become a common topic of discussion. Infertility is drastically important to talk about as one of every six couples is suffering from infertility. The main cause of infertility has not been established ,however, most A little more than half of cases of infertility cases are attributed to female conditions. The most common re are different conditions which trigger infertility in women include such as, tubal or pelvic factors, ovulatory dysfunction, cervical problems and uterine factors just to mention a few.; However, it doesn't mean that there aren't other conditions that can affect fertility in woman. Men, on the other hand, On the other hand, men also have factors that affect their fertility .even though some are unexplained, the The most common triggers of infertility among men include male factors are mostly testicular factors, post testicular causes, and pretesticular causes. Medical research has proven that causes of infertility ranges from the lifestylelife style of the individual to biological disorders that may be as a result of hormone failure or genetic abnormalities. This paper is an inquiry paper that will portray how these lifestyle factors have negativly e affected reproduction as they alter regulation of hormones among men and women which then results to infertility.effects on reproduction as they are capable to alter the regulations of hormones required in the reproductive system in both men and women rendering them infertile.In what way does the lifestyle of an individual lead to infertility ? Which habits in particular contribute to a person being rendered infertile?According to a recent research by Brody et al, 2014,there is an increase in infertility from one in ten couples to one in six couples suffering from it due to their lifestyle.Some of the common habits that trigger increase the condition among couples include Habits such as cigarette smoking ,and alcohol intake , changes in sexual behavior and eliminations of most taboos, contribute to the increase in infertility in many couples.How do these lifestyle behaviors lead to infertility ? Cigarettes,for example, contain a substance called nicotine which has an unfavorable effect on reproduction. Nicotine leads to also causes lower circulation ng levels of estrogen which is responsible for regulation of the menstrual cycle of women. This consequently contributes to early menopause among women.(a steroid hormone that regulates the menstrual cycle) and earlier menopause in women while in men, Ssmoking,on the other hand, decreases sperm quality in men by lowering sperm counts. In the same light, tubal factor, cervical factor infertility and ovulatory dysfunctions are increased with too much alcohol consumption among women of alcohol. In men, too much consumption of alcohol can cause impotence by increasing the abnormal shape of sperm and can go as far as affecting the hormone levelslevel in them.It ,therefore, gets important for people to change be careful on their lifestyles to avoid affecting their fertility. Other than lifestyle factors, what other factors result to infertlity ?Medical factors have also been identified to be a major cause of infertility among couples. Some of the factors include oOvulatory dysfunction which is also known as anovulation (as mentioned earlier) is one of the most common inhibitors of fertility in women.What is ovulatory dysfunction? According to Barua et al, it is a disorder where ovulation does not occur regularly. It Ovulatory dysfunction could either be caused by the underdevelopment of the female's reproductive organ or as a result of hormones in charge of regulating the female cycle being disrupted. Generally, ovulation dysfunction is mostly related to the imbalance of hormones (committee practice). Does it affect a certain group of women or any woman? The disorder It can occur to any woman who has gone through puberty but is more and is common among in women who are approaching menopause , which is a stage where where women stop ovulating. In the beginning of a woman's menstrual cycle the hypothalamus and pituitary glands in the brain controls Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) inadequate amount of the hormones s would result tocause ovulatory dysfunction. Hence,. changes in the function of the glands affect ovulation and may consequently result to infertility.would affect ovulation since, in some way many dysfunctions affect glands.

Another ovariany disorder that affects fertility is premature ovarian failure which comes about as a result of genetic abnormalities. What are the effects of the disorder? Premature ovarian failure is also regarded as an ovulation dysfunction since it affects ovaries and as its name depicts, it is a The disorder is believed to be due to genetic abnormalities which leads to the faster depletion of eggs in an ovary. It is a situation where Ww Women diagnosed withof this disorder lose more eggs during menstruation than normal women, which results to hence they experience early menopause. In the same light, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are also believed to lead to ovalutory dysfunction.diseases of the thyroid gland which also cause ovulatory dysfunction though it is unexplained how it affects it. Hypothyrodism is a condition where a woman does not produceWhere sufficient thyroid hormones are not produced by a woman is called Hypothyroidism. On the other hand, hyperthyroidism is experienced when a woman produces too much thyroid hormones, it is referred to as hyperthyroidism; How do this conditions lead to infertility among women? Despite being even though, these abnormalities are different, they both lead to higher amounts of estrogen in a woman which increases the interference of the growth of the follicle and eventually affect the amount of FSH and LH that is required for the release of the egg.

In addition,To add, Polycystic ovary syndrome is also a disease that affects fertility. It is a condition where disease which follicles don't mature, resulting to development of causing them to sometimes become ovarian cysts (Abha et al ,2008)).The condition results to altering of womens menstrual cycle hence they do not ovulate for a certain perid of time. Polycystic ovary syndrome causes women not to ovulate for a period of time. What leads to missed periods among women due to this condition? A suggested theory is that high levels of luteinizing hormone found in these women cause ovulatory dysfunction. This disease comes about because the woman is suffering from hyperprolactinemia which is a situation where the woman's body produces too much prolactin which is the hormone needed for breast milk production; hence, decreasing FSH and LH, and affecting the maturing of a follicle. In the same light, the number of hormones required for ovulation is disrupted.

What other factors can lead to infertility?There are other factors that can also affect fertility in women. According to Almoayad et al, 2017eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia alters the normal activity of LH such that , it does not fluctuate as it should during a normal menstruation cycle. This at results toin irregular or even absent menstruations. In addition,To add, medication can also cause ovulatory dysfunction by causing an increases in hormones such as prolactin, which may lead to hyperprolactinemia. Nonetheless,Also,brain medication to do with the brain also might also lead to hormonal imbalance, causing ovulatory dysfunction. Anovulation due to aging has been rated as is one of the most common causes of infertility. Women approaching menopause have fewer eggs in their ovaries,increasing the chances of anovulation among old women aged between 35 and 40. therefore anovulation is evident in the later stages of a woman's life, especially when she is after the age of 35 and nearing 40. Excessive exercise ,dietary changes and stress have also been identified as causes of infertility. also causes change in menstrual regularity due to dietary changes and stress.In conclusion,To conclude, infertility is a fast growing plaque amongst us that needs to be dealt with. The problem has ruined the lives of many individuals and those around them hence it is very important to deal with it.Dealing with this problem is as important as dealing with any other disease or medical condition because it is capable of ruining people's lives and the lives of others around them. Infertility has broken many homes, frustrated many women and men socially, mentally and even physically. It is important that people visit the hospital to know their fertility levels in order to deal with the problem before it is too late. high time that people should go to the hospital to get themselves tested on their fertility level, so that they know whether they need to be treated before it becomes too late. How can the problem be dealt with?In order to do away with or reduce the condition,tThere should be more health care programs that are meant to sensitize people on about the effects of binge drinking, heavy smoking, and other lifestyle factors that can have an effect of their fertility level. Spouses should also ensure they know their partners very well before marriage to avoid conflicts that arise later in the marriage. It is also important that people know the status of their spouses before they get married in order to avoid family conflicts that may arise if one of the couples can't deal with their partner been infertile. Sensitization of patients by health personnel about the causes of infertility will also help reduce the rate of infertility in the our society. GenerallyHence, knowledge is the key to remedy the problem of infertility in our society.

Works Cited

Barua, Sumita, et al. "Ovulatory Disorders Are an Independent Risk Factor for Pregnancy Complications in Women Receiving Assisted Reproduction Treatments." Australian & New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, vol. 57, no. 3, June 2017, pp. 286-293.

Maheshwari, Abha, Mark Hamilton, and Siladitya Bhattacharya. "Effect of female age on the diagnostic categories of infertility." Human reproduction 23.3 (2008): 538-542.Abha, Maheshwari, et al. "Effect of Female Age on the Diagnostic Categories of Infertility." Human Reproduction, vol. 23, no. 3, Mar. 2008, p. 538.

Brody, Jane E. "Infertility issue is little understood." New York Times D 7 (2014).Brody, Jane E. "PCOS: An Infertility Issue That Is Little Understood." The New York Times,The New York Times, 24 Nov. 2014,

Almoayad, Hala A., Enas A. Abdulrasul, and Noor A. Jumaa. "Comparison of antimullerian hormone level between women with polycystic ovary syndrome and normal ovulatory infertile women of reproductive age." Iraqi Journal of Medical Sciences 15.3 (2017): 234-241.

Almoayad, Hala A., et al. "Comparison of Antimullerian Hormone Level between Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Normal Ovulatory Infertile Women of Reproductive Age." Iraqi Journal of Medical Sciences, vol. 15, no. 3, July 2017,

Committee on Practice, Bulletins-Gynecology. "ACOG Practice Bulletin #34. Management of Infertility Caused by Ovulatory Dysfunction." Obstetrics & Gynecology, vol. 99, no. 2, Feb. 2002, p. 347.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. "ACOG practice bulletin. Management of infertility caused by ovulatory dysfunction. Number 34, February 2002. Americ...