How To Combat Infertility In the United States
Unfortunately, struggles with infertility are not uncommon for many couples in the process of trying to have a baby, especially as the average age at which people have their first child is becoming later and later on in life, as many people are looking to establish their careers and become financially stable before bringing a child into the world. Causes of infertility in women and in men are vast, from genetic factors to lifestyle factors.
When it comes to lifestyle factors, there have been a number of lifestyle choices that can be directly associated to lowered rates of fertility. For instance, smoking just five cigarettes in one full day can lower fertility rates not only for women, but considerably in men as well. Financial hardship and depression both (primarily depression caused by life long financial hardship) has actually been shown to send women into early menopause (after twelve months without a period, a woman is considered menopausal) and therefore makes it very difficult for them to conceive even if their financial situation becomes stable and their mental health issues manageable.
Menopause is a natural cause of infertility, and the age at which a woman enters menopause is highly based on genetic factors. While the average age of menopause has not changed even as life expectancies in the United States have continued to lengthen and most women enter menopause in their early fifties, there are some women who experience it far earlier, as early as their thirties. Peri menopause is another common condition. Peri menopause is the period before full blown menopause strikes, and usually entails a few years of altered and irregular periods. Though women in peri menopause can still technically conceive, they are far less likely to as their periods and therefore their ovulation schedules are far more difficult to track – as well as the fact that they may not be ovulating on a regular basis.
Most couples beginning the process of conceiving become worried about not conceiving at some point, even in totally healthy couples. What most couples do not know is that it is totally normal for it to take up to a year to conceive even in couples with no fertility issues to speak of. In a young and healthy woman, a fertility specialist will not be recommended until the year mark has passed.
Fortunately, there are a number of viable infertility solutions, from hormone replacement therapy to bioidentical hormone therapy. These therapies, like bioidentical hormone therapy, can be used for both infertility and for the more uncomfortable side effects associated with the estrogen drop caused by menopause. Bioidentical hormone therapy is becoming a widespread womens health treatment, as it can be beneficial to the overall quality of life of the women treated with bioidentical hormone therapy. Infertility can also be helped by surgical procedures, in the cases of many uterine problems such as polycystic ovarian syndrome and endometriosis. IVF (in vitro fertilization) is also common among the community of infertile couples in the United States. If one method, like bioidentical hormone therapy, does not prove to be successful, there are many others that can be tried with hopefully success.
Infertility can be trying for any couple, particularly if they have been struggling to conceive for a long time with no positive results and no baby to show for their efforts. Getting a reason for their infertility, from genetic factors to lifestyle choices, is the first step to conception, as a treatment plan can then be concocted and put into use. Fertility treatments such as bioidentical hormone therapy and IVF have proved to be very successful for many couples, and there are so many fertility treatment options out there.