Having a baby can be a monumental moment in a woman’s life, but getting pregnant depends on a person’s fertility. Various fertility issues affect men and women all over the world. Many don’t know they suffer from infertility until they try to get pregnant. Fertility issues usually can be addressed by a medical specialist, and can often be remedied through treatments and procedures. With today’s advancements in health technology, women and men can even conceive without using their own sperm and egg. In the following questions and answers, you will learn about different issues regarding fertility in both men and women.
What is the concept behind the Basal Body Temperature?
Women have two main hormones that are present during a 28-day menstrual cycle. The hormone that shows up during the first part of the cycle is estrogen, considered to be a “cool” hormone. The second part of the cycle is taken over by progesterone, considered to be a “warm” hormone. The presence of progesterone is when ovulation occurs for a female, usually around day fifteen or sixteen of her menstrual cycle. Because progesterone is warm, the body temperature will spike up, usually around .4 degrees over a 48-hour period. Basal body temperature is your body’s temperature at a resting state, usually before getting out of bed in the morning. The Basal body temperature goes up and can be charted by using a basic thermometer and a menstrual cycle chart. All of this together tells a woman when she is more likely to conceive because her ovaries have released an egg to be fertilized.
What is polycystic ovary syndrome?
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, often called PCOS, is a condition that affects about ten percent of women who are in their childbearing years. It’s considered to be one of the most common reproductive problems among women. PCOS affects the woman’s menstrual cycle, fertility, hormone levels, insulin production, heart and blood vessels. PCOS causes irregularity in the menstrual cycle and can cause small ovarian cysts to form. This is what leads to infertility because women do not ovulate when they are supposed to. Women diagnosed with PCOS usually have high levels of androgens, a male hormone. Doctors are not quite sure what causes PCOS and there isn’t a single test to tell if one has the syndrome. Your doctor will need to check medical history, hormone levels and measure sugar levels in the blood.
What is Varicocele?
Varicocele is one of the most common causes of infertility in men, affecting around forty percent of men tested for infertility. It’s the abnormal dilation of the internal spermatic veins that drain blood away from the testicle to the abdomen. Defective valves cause the blood flow to go back towards the testicles and scrotum instead of away, causing a dangerous environment for the growth of sperm. Sperm can not grow in overly warm testicular environments, leading to infertility. Tests can be performed to find out if you suffer from the disease and the problem can be remedied through surgery or other medical therapies such as in-vitro fertilization.
Read the full article here: Achieving Conception