Faq's

How many people suffer from infertility related problems in India?

In India, it is estimated that approximately between 15-20% of all couples of fertile age suffer from infertility. This figure is on the increase because of increased urbanization and pollution, stress, a competitive work environment and a hectic and fast paced lifestyle.

What is infertility?

Infertility, whether male or female, can be defined as “the inability of a couple to achieve conception a year or more of regular, unprotected coital Exposure”.

What % of couples are infertile worldwide?

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 8-10% of couples experience some form of infertility problem. On a worldwide scale, this means that 50-80 million people suffer from infertility. However, the incidence of infertility may vary from region to region.

My husband and I have an active sex life for 2 year, we are both healthy, and my periods are regular. However, we have still not conceived. How will we be evaluated to diagnose our problems related to infertility?

Its not possible to determine the reason for your infertility until you undergo tests to find out the reasons. You can do the following:
You can try timed intercourse for few months
After no results you need to go for tests to determine the underlying cause of your problem which will include:
Detailed Semen Analysis
Ovulation Study
HSG to find the status of your tubes.

What is timed sexual intercourse?

To increase the chance of getting pregnant spontaneously, timed sexual intercourse is recommended. This means that sexual intercourse, or coitus has to be taken place around the time of ovulation, which is the most fertile period of a woman. When tests are used to detect ovulation it is advised to have sexual intercourse on the day of a positive test.

What are the main causes of infertility?

Due to Female factors
Due to Male Factors
Due to combined factors
No cause found
In females, the causes could be: Irregular ovulation or egg production, hormonal imbalance 30%.eg .PCOD, Premature ovarian factors, benign, Hormone producing Tumours. Tubal block 30%. Problems in uterus like fibroids, adhesions, synechiae congenital anomalies, chocolate cyst of ovaries 30%. Unexplained 10%. Unfavourable mucus is cervix, which may be hostile to sperm. Male contribute almost 40% to infertility…
The common reasons are: Low motility of sperms with normal or low count (oligospermia, Asthenozoospermia, Teratozoospermia). Varicocele, congenital absence of Vas deferens, Testicular dysfunction and hormonal imbalance. Azoospermia may be Obstructive or non-obstructive. Erectile dysfunction-normal sexual life is not possible. All said and done proper counseling & treatment at proper age improve the success rate of infertility treatments. Elderly age couple may face more problems.

Is female to be blamed all the times for infertility?

Not at all. The incidence of infertility in men and women is almost identical. Infertility is exclusively a female problem in 30-40% of the cases and exclusively a male problem in 10-30% of the cases. Problems common to both partners are diagnosed in 15-30% of infertile couples. After thorough medical investigations, the causes of the fertility problem remain unexplained in only a minority of infertile couples (5-10%).

What is “fertile” period?

Your fertile period is the time during which having unprotected sex could make you pregnant. This is the period when ovulation (release of a mature egg from the ovary) take place. Usually it is the middle of normally menstrual cycle + 2 days before after e.g If you have 28 days cycle then D12 to D16 will be your fertile period. .

What treatment options do infertile couples have?

The main treatment options:
Timed intercourse with ovulation study.
Artificial Insemination with husband sperm (AIH).
Artificial Insemination with Donor Sperm. (In case of azoospermia i.e Absence of sperm in semen).
IVF
ICSI
Egg Donation / EMBRYO DONATION.
Surrogacy
Surgery
Hormonal Treatment.
PESA/MESA/TESA for infertility due to male problems.

How successful is infertility treatment?

Depends upon the problem of the couple. without treatment, less than 1% chance to conceive with treatment 30-40% chance to conceive.

Are there particular health risks for women undergoing infertility treatment?

Along with their intended benefits, drugs used to treat infertility may on occasion cause side effects. In ovulation induction, close monitoring of follicular growth is crucial to ensuring successful treatment. Monitoring techniques (such as ultrasound scan and blood tests) and adequate use of treatment protocols help the physician to avoid ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome (OHSS)and minimize the risk of multiple pregnancies. Current treatment protocols have been designed to reduce the risk of multiple births and OHSS.

Can ovulation induction increase the risk of ovarian cancer?

Infertility itself is a risk factor for ovarian cancer.
There is evidence that each pregnancy reduces the risk of a woman contracting ovarian cancer (this risk could be reduced by more than 25% by a first pregnancy). No epidemiological study has ever established a causal link between ovulation promoting drugs and ovarian cancer.

Would the children born by such techniques be normal?

Regarding children born following treatment the ovulation promoting drugs, the incidence of birth defects has never been found to be higher than that in the normal population.

Would the children born by such techniques be normal?

Regarding children born following treatment the ovulation promoting drugs, the incidence of birth defects has never been found to be higher than that in the normal population