Infertility: A Modern Disease

Infertility is a condition in which a couple has regular sexual intercourse for more than a year without using any contraceptive methods but still cannot conceive.

According to a new study by the Central Obstetrics Hospital and Hanoi Medical University Hospital, the infertility rate among young couples in Vietnam is currently 7.7%. So what is infertility in reality? Let's learn about the concept of infertility and the causes of infertility in men and women to better understand this disease.

What is infertility?

Infertility is a condition in which a couple has regular sexual intercourse for more than a year without using any contraceptive methods but still cannot conceive. There are two types of infertility: primary infertility and secondary infertility. Primary infertility is when a couple has had sexual intercourse for more than a year without conceiving, while secondary infertility is when they have been pregnant but then cannot conceive again.

About 40% of infertility cases are caused by men, 40% by women, 10% by both partners and 10% of infertility is unexplained. To treat infertility, both husband and wife need to go for a check-up to find out the cause, from which the doctor will have a reasonable treatment regimen.

Infertility is a common disease of modern times.

Male infertility

Male infertility is often caused by poor sperm quality or low sperm count. This can be due to testicular abnormalities such as orchitis, epididymitis, varicocele or hormonal abnormalities.

Some other causes such as taking drugs that affect sperm quality such as after taking drugs to treat stomach pain, high blood pressure also cause poor sperm mobility; due to the consequences of sexually transmitted diseases leading to inflammation of the vas deferens causing blockage of the sperm transport path from the testicles to the seminal vesicles, suffering from urinary tract infections, epididymitis complications of mumps, epididymal tuberculosis, varicocele leading to deformed sperm, with abnormal structures in the head, body, tail; the effects of radiation, alcoholism, tobacco, can also cause sperm mutations...

In addition, men who are suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure or old age, impotence, decreased sexual desire, prolonged stress or you and your spouse have pent-up conflicts that cannot be expressed. These factors can also lead to infertility in men.

Some signs to recognize infertility in men are: Men have pain when ejaculating, there is blood in the semen; the scrotum is swollen, tight like a ball and soft on one or both sides; the testicles are twisted or the testicles are not in the correct position.

The testicles are swollen, painful, and red due to severe epididymitis or testicular torsion, which prevents blood from reaching the testicles to nourish them. Men experience problems with erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. Pain in the head of the penis, accompanied by green or yellow pus discharge. Diseases such as liver disease, kidney disease, sickle cell anemia, and diseases of the reproductive organs, if not treated promptly, can lead to infertility in men.

In addition, men can recognize infertility through some systemic symptoms such as hair loss, belly fat, dry and wrinkled skin, excessive sweating, severe stress, and constant anxiety...

Female infertility

There are many causes of infertility in women, most of which are due to gynecological diseases. Here are the main causes:

Due to pelvic inflammatory disease:Pelvic inflammatory disease is caused by bacteria such as Chlamydia, gonorrhea, etc.

Due to polycystic ovary disease:Polycystic ovaries are a condition in which the ovaries have many small cysts. When you have polycystic ovaries, you will have infrequent periods (menstruation only once every few months) or ovulation disorders, which can cause infertility.

Blocked fallopian tubes:It is a disease of the fallopian tubes that are inflamed and leave scars that narrow or block the fallopian tubes, preventing the movement of the egg and sperm to meet, leading to infertility. One of the reasons why many women have blocked fallopian tubes is due to poor hygiene during their menstrual cycle. Every time the menstrual cycle comes, the vagina is in an open state, this is one of the favorable conditions for harmful bacteria to enter the vagina and cause inflammation if women do not have the right and appropriate hygiene methods.

Vaginal or cervical infections, if left untreated, can cause retrograde infection to the fallopian tubes, causing blockage of the fallopian tubes. Repeated and unsafe abortions are also one of the leading causes of blocked fallopian tubes.

Poor egg quality:Is the phenomenon of the egg not being able to form a zygote with sperm. Egg quality is the condition for the egg to develop into an embryo after being fertilized. Poor egg quality is a common cause of infertility in women.

Too many abortions:Too many abortions will damage the reproductive organs, especially thinning the endometrium. In addition, abortions can easily cause infections that can lead to blocked fallopian tubes or uterine adhesions... leading to infertility.

Uterine diseases:Uterine fibroids, uterine polyps...

Suffer from other diseases such as gout, obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, thyroid disease, uterine fibroids.

Using other medications to treat other diseases causes side effects.

It is difficult to recognize the signs of infertility in women because in some cases the cause of infertility cannot be determined. Here are the most common signs:

Menstrual disorders:Menstrual disorders such as amenorrhea, menorrhagia lasting more than 10 days, dysmenorrhea, too little menstruation that only lasts for the first 2-3 days and then stops completely, black and clotted menstruation... can all lead to infertility.

Body always tired:Women always feel tired, obese or too thin and weak, pale or yellow skin, headaches and dizziness... This is not a sign of infertility, but it is a sign of other diseases that affect fertility such as liver, kidney, cardiovascular, endocrine diseases...

Regular sex without pregnancy:Both husband and wife do not have any symptoms, still have sex regularly 2-3 times/week and do not use any contraceptive methods for a period of time, that is one of the clearest signs of infertility.

In addition to pathological causes, general health status and diet also affect the fertility of some people. If men and women eat a lot of foods containing many toxic substances, especially tobacco, alcohol, drugs, exposure to chemicals, polluted environment... it will affect the fertility of both men and women. Age also affects fertility, women after 35 years old often have more difficulty getting pregnant.

How to examine and treat infertility?

Both husband and wife should go for examination and infertility treatment according to the doctor's instructions for best results.

The doctor will prescribe examination and perform tests such as blood test, urine test, gynecological examination, hysterosalpingography in women or semen analysis in men, examination of male genitals to find the cause of infertility in men and women. After knowing the real cause of infertility, the doctor will have a reasonable treatment direction, which can be medical treatment or surgical intervention.

In addition, the doctor may prescribe some assisted reproductive methods such as intrauterine insemination or in vitro fertilization. In particular, the method of intrauterine insemination is prioritized to be performed first with many advantages such as saving time and costs and also quite high efficiency. Currently, infertility treatment by intrauterine insemination has been performed at many obstetric centers and brought happiness to infertile couples.

Therefore, infertile couples should not worry too much but should go to the hospital to get further advice from doctors on treatment methods for optimal results.

According to Zing