What is infertility ?

Infertility is the term given to describe a couple that has never been able to conceive a pregnancy, usually after a minimum of 1 year of attempting to do so through unprotected intercourse.

Many couples wrongly believe that it is easy to conceive and don't understand that pregnancy is normally a matter of chance.

Even if the egg and sperm are in the right place at the right time there is no guarantee that pregnancy will occur. Some couples will conceive immediately and for others it can take months. Failure to conceive could just be a case of bad timing, e.g. not having sexual intercourse when the women is ovulating .

It has been estimated there are approximately one in six couples in the U.K. that have fertility problems. Usually 40-50% of problems lie with the female, 30-40% with the male, the remaining 10-30% may be caused by contributing factors from both partners or the cause may never be known. In some situations the high fertility of one partner can compensate for the low fertility of the other. Very few couples are actually totally infertile, but instead sub-fertile - taking more than a year to conceive.

Female infertility

One of the most important factors that effects female fertility is age. Female fertility slowly begins to decrease around the age of 25, then after the age of 35 fertility will usually begin to decrease relatively quickly until the women reaches menopause. Many women become obsessed and sometimes ill with the desire to conceive. Surprisingly it is when they become more relaxed about the situation (and give up hope), conception usually occurs.

Other causes of female infertility include:

• Problems with ovulation - the first stage of pregnancy is when the egg is released in ovulation. If the hormones that control ovulation become unbalanced then the system may not work as it should. Severe weight loss, illness and emotional problems can all affect ovulation. If you have irregular or few periods this could indicate a problem with ovulation.
• Damaged fallopian tubes - once the egg has been released, it must travel through the fallopian tubes. Problems will arise if there is a blockage or scarring in the fallopian tube. This damage may be caused by a sexually transmitted disease that you may have had in the past or are currently infected with. A lot of sexually transmitted diseases show no symptoms.
• Mucus disorder - some women have antibodies in their cervical mucus that can kill their partner's sperm before it is able to swim through to the womb (uterus).
• Endometriosis - a condition in which fragments of the endometrium (womb lining) break away and lodge elsewhere in the body.
• Use of certain medication - always check with your doctor before taking any medication, many medicines can reduce your fertility and potentially harm an unborn baby.

Fertilization may fail to occur for a variety of reasons not just those mentioned above. However, the majority of problems can be overcome with medical treatment.

This test is especially useful for women with irregular cycles and women aged 30 or over. 2 tests are included and if both test results are positive it is an indicator of reduced fertility.

PLEASE NOTE: each test is sealed seperately and comes with full instructions in a plastic bag