Infertility

One of the worst situations for a woman is not being able to have children. Infertility is a condition that means infertility and it is seen in about 15% of women today. Although treatment is possible in a significant part of the cases, treatment may not be possible in some cases.

Infertility is the condition in which a couple cannot have children despite having intercourse regularly for 1 year. For the diagnosis of this disease, it is necessary to wait 1 year, and in some cases a little more. In the first stage, primary examinations are performed on the couples. The women's tubes, ovaries, and uterus are examined. The exact cause of the problem is investigated.

If the tubes are blocked, the sperm cannot reach the egg, and as a result, infertility occurs. Tube obstruction is one of the important causes of infertility. In addition, the inability to produce eggs in a healthy way, the lack of a suitable environment for pregnancy due to hormonal differences, the inability of the embryo to hold in the uterus due to problems in the uterine wall are other causes of infertility.

Medicines, creams, surgical operations and similar methods are used for the treatment of infertility. If infertility cannot be eliminated, other methods such as vaccination and in vitro fertilization are used and women are ensured to become pregnant in this way.

Infertility

Infertility is defined as the absence of pregnancy despite the couple's regular intercourse for at least 1 year. For young couples, it may take a little longer to talk about infertility. However, if there are signs of infertility in the examination history of women aged 35 and over, the treatment process should be started quickly.

Infertility is not just a condition that occurs in women. This condition can also occur in men. Therefore, it is necessary for both infertile couples to be examined at the same time and thus to fully understand the reason why pregnancy does not occur.

Causes of Infertility

There are different conditions that cause infertility to occur. These occur differently in men and women. Therefore, it would be more accurate to examine the causes of infertility separately for men and women.

What are the Causes of Infertility in Women?

Problems With Ovulation

For pregnancy to occur, the ovaries must function correctly. Insufficient functioning of these is the cause of infertility and its share in the total causes is 15% on average. Ovulation is expressed as ovulation, while the absence of ovulation is called anovulation. The absence of ovulation in women will cause infertility. This can be determined by:

• Ovulation tracking with USG

• Removing a piece from the uterus before menstruation and performing pathological examination

• Cervical pap smear

• Examination of progesterone level on the 19th, 21st and 23rd days of menstruation

• Checking basal body temperature

If it is noticed that ovulation does not occur as a result of these tests and examinations, treatment should be started directly. With the use of ovulation drugs, normal ovulation can be achieved by 80%. If drugs do not give positive results in treatment, different treatment methods are applied.

Fallopian Tubes

Sperm coming from the man to the vagina for pregnancy must first pass through the uterus and the cervix and reach the tubes, and then reach the egg. Therefore, one of the most important causes of infertility is the tubes. Tubes that are not open or do not perform their functions properly are seen in 35% of infertility cases.

In order to see the condition of the tubes, first of all, an HSG examination is performed. If there is an abnormality in the results obtained here, laparoscopy is performed. Thus, the condition of the tubes is fully seen. Surgical methods are used for the treatment of tubes. If these methods are not successful, in vitro fertilization is tried.

Cervical Problems

Cervix does not occupy an important place among the causes of infertility. But in some cases, some substances found in the cervix can block the passage of sperm or kill them. To determine this, cervical mucus samples are taken from the woman and sperm samples from the man. In addition, blood samples are also included in this examination so that it can be understood whether the cervix is ​​causing infertility. Vaccination is done to solve these problems today. In other words, it is the process of sending sperm directly into the uterus. If pregnancy does not occur with this procedure, microinjection or in vitro fertilization can be tried.

Problems with the Peritoneum

Peritoneal membrane, or with its medical name, covers the inner surface of the reproductive organs and the abdominal cavity. Here, anomalies alone can cause infertility. Laparoscopy is recommended for diagnosis and different treatment methods can be used according to the results to be obtained. An important part of the treatment methods consists of surgical procedures.

Problems with the Womb

A medicated uterine film is taken to understand whether there are problems with the uterus. This film, taken one week after the end of menstruation and before ovulation, is effective in understanding the condition of uterine adhesions, uterine fibroids and the uterine cavity. Before the film, the drug is given through the cervix and fills the uterus and goes up to the tubes, and from there it is poured into the abdominal cavity. The pressure to be applied with the HSG may cause the blockages in the tubes to be removed. Therefore, after this procedure, infertility can be resolved spontaneously. If there is an abnormality in the data obtained with the HSG, hysteroscopy may be performed.

Age Factor

One of the causes of infertility is the age of women. As women age, the quality of eggs decreases and fertilization becomes more difficult. If a different factor is added to this situation, infertility may occur. This is particularly evident at the age of 40 and above. In addition, even if infertility does not occur, older women have a much higher risk of miscarriage and chromosomal abnormalities.

Infertility of Unknown Cause

Below are the causes of infertility in women. But in some cases, the causes of infertility cannot be determined despite all the tests. In such cases, all known tests are applied to the couples, and this can sometimes even cause the couples to become depressed. Among all infertility cases, the proportion of such cases varies between 5% and 10%. Such cases are referred to as unexplained infertility or infertility of unknown cause. Vaccination is preferred as a solution for unexplained infertility. While the success rate in the first vaccination is 15%, the success rate drops significantly in other vaccinations. Therefore, in such cases, vaccination is applied in limited numbers.

What are the Causes of Infertility in Men?

The number of causes of infertility in men is relatively less. However, it should not be forgotten that the reasons here also result in infertility. It would not be wrong to list some of these reasons as follows.

Testicular Problems

As it is known, the production of sperm is carried out in the testicles. Abnormal sperm production and problems with ejaculation result in infertility.

Hormonal Problems

The effect of hormones in the fulfillment of functions in the human body is very high. LH and FSH hormones secreted from the pituitary gland, located close to the brain, stimulate sperm production in the testicles and the secretion of testosterone hormone. Problems in the production, secretion or amount of these hormones may result in infertility. It can be said that hormones have an important place among the causes of infertility in men.

Problems in Sperm Carrier Channels

The sperm produced by the testicles are transported to the penis through the ducts after the epidymis. The inability of the produced sperm to be transported to the penis due to a blockage or anomaly in this system results in infertility. This system is not developed congenitally in some patients and accordingly infertility is in question. In these patients, sperms are taken by entering with a needle and then pregnancy is ensured by microinjection application. In addition, depending on the trauma and impact experienced afterwards, it may be possible for this system to be damaged and not be able to perform its function fully.

Infertility Treatments

Depending on the condition that caused infertility, different treatments may be applied. These practices will differ from person to person. Each of them has different success rates and a number of conditions must be met in order to be implemented. Therefore, it would be more appropriate for people to talk to their doctors to get information about treatments.

Today, it is possible to list the prominent treatment methods applied for infertility as follows:

• ICSI in the Natural Cycle

• Egg collection process

• Embryo transfer

• Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI)

• Assisted Reproductive Techniques

• Micropipettes used for the ICSI procedure

• Use of GnRH-Antagonists (Orgalutran and Cetrotide)

• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection

The positive results of the methods here are directly related to the fact that the doctor performing the procedure is an expert and experienced in this field. In addition, the conditions of the hospital or clinic where the treatment is applied must also be suitable. However, despite all this, some cases may not be treated or may take longer than expected. Sometimes it is possible to have a child at the end of 20 years, sometimes positive results can be obtained within a few months.