Every Question You Have About Fertility, Answered

Every Question You Have About Fertility, Answered Extend Fertility is the very first service in the country dedicated exclusively to women choosing to proactively freeze their eggs. We were inspired by the belief that women interested in fertility options for the future deserve the same level of service, emotional support, and physician excellence as women trying for a baby now.A huge part of our mission is to educate women about fertility and infertility, and help them understand their own personal fertility health. So lets dive in here are five of the fruchtwein frequently asked fertility questions, answered1. What is infertility, anyway?Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system. Physicians define infertility as the inability to get pregnant after 12 months of regular, unprotected sex. Being diagnosed as infertile doesnt mean you cant get pregnant ever. It just means something is preventing your body from getting pregnant on its own, and you may need to learn more about y our cycle (such as when youre ovulating) or get help from a fertility doctor, known as a reproductive endocrinologist, to understand and overcome the problem.2. Is infertility common?Its probably more common than you thinkexperts estimate that 1 in 8 women (or 12.5%) experience infertility. However, its important to leidlagee that infertility rates increase with a womans age, with the steepest drop-off of fertility happening after age 35which is why youll see that age thrown around a lot in conversations about fertility. According to the Office on Womens Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about one-third of women over age 35 experience infertility. Thats why, for women over 35, experts recommend seeing a doctor if theyre not pregnant after just 6 months of regular, unprotected sex. Even a half-year can make a difference.3. Okay, so what causes it?For women, the most common cause of infertility is age. Weve talked about this before, but lets do a quick overvi ew women are born with all the eggs theyll ever have, and as they age, both the quantity and the quality of those eggs declines. Egg quality refers to the number of eggs that are genetically normal, or free from chromosomal defects that could cause infertility, miscarriage, or congenital disorders. Both the decline in quantity, known as diminished ovarian reserve, and the decline in quality can affect a womans ability to get pregnant and give birth to a healthy baby.No, age isnt the only factorcertain disorders and imbalances can also cause infertility, even in young women, and worsen fertility rates for older women. One example is endometriosis, a disorder of the endometrium (or uterine lining) that causes endometrial tissue to grow on other surfaces in the reproductive system, potentially causing cysts, blockages, inflammation, or other barriers to normal reproductive function. Other possible causes include polycystic ovarian syndrome (or PCOS), smoking, and untreated sexually tra nsmitted infections. (Learn more.) But its really important that we make it clear that the top cause of infertility is age-related ovarian disorder. Were not saying this to freak you outwe just want to make sure you have the facts4. But is it only a problem for women?Absolutely not, although for centuries women have taken the brunt of the blame for fertility problems. (Typical) According to ASRM, infertility affects men and women equally potential causes for male factor infertility include varicocele, or a swelling of veins in the testicles hormone imbalances or problems with erection, ejaculation, or the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles to the penis. Like the female reproductive system, the male reproductive system has lots of moving parts, and they all have to work correctly for a pregnancy to happen.Age is also a factor for men, but its not quite the same as it is for women. Age-related fertility decline starts a little later for menaround age 40and the decline is just a few percentage points. However, if both partners are over 35, that decline can compound the womans declining fertility. Additionally, like we see in womens eggs, chromosomal abnormalities are more likely to be present in sperm from men over 35 or 40.5. Why are you talking about infertility? Extend Fertility is an egg freezing companyGood question Youre rightwhile the bread and butter of many practices is assisted reproductive technology like in vitro fertilization (IVF), at Extend Fertility we focus on helping women preserve their fertility before its a problem. But this conversation is a really important one, even for us, because many women dont fully understand their own fertilityand therefore arent equipped to make the best possible decisions for themselves and their bodies. Just one example many women think that theyll be fertile and able to get pregnant until menopause, which we know isnt true for most women, fertility starts to decline pretty rapidly over a decade before meno pause hits.We know that for women who want to delay childbearing (or those who are at risk of infertility due to another cause, like endometriosis or cancer treatment), preserving their fertility through egg freezing is one of the smartest decisions they can make. Plus, studies have demonstrated that using eggs frozen when a woman was under 35 to conceive later increases the option of a successful pregnancy and decreases the chance that shell need in vitro fertilization at that time. Thats why we like to think of egg freezing as preventative medicine for infertility.If you want to have kids (or you might want to have kids), we recommend you start a conversation with your doctor or complete some preliminary testing to learn more about your fertility. Its never too early And if youre pretty sure you want to delay having kids until later (because youre busy in school, working on your career, travelling, waiting for the right partner, or any other reason), schedule a consultation with a reproductive endocrinologist to talk about fertility preservation.More awareness + more information + more options = better decisions and a happier, healthier you.