FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Causes of infertility

If you have been trying to conceive for more than a year unsuccessfully, then you may have a fertility issue. Around one in six couples experience some difficulty in achieving a pregnancy. But, the good news is that we can help those struggling to achieve their dream of starting a family.

 

Did you know?

Around 30% of infertility is attributed to female factors, around 30% to male factors, 20% combined male and female and 20% is unexplained.

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When you feel ready, we will be with you every step of the way,  providing you with all of the information and support that you need. We will give you clear guidance on what we need to do in order to achieve the best possible chance of achieving a healthy pregnancy. 

 

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Ovulation

Issues with ovulation are one of the most common causes of fertility issues for women. Poor egg quality, failure to ovulate through hormonal deficiency or imbalance, irregular ovulation and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) are common problems. They are often related to age, especially since egg quality is known to deteriorate quite dramatically from late 30's onward. Premature ovarian failure, when the ovaries stop earlier than normal, is another reason for female infertility. 

Womb and Fallopian tubes

Your fallopian tubes, which carry eggs from your ovaries to the womb, can be blocked or damaged preventing any chance of eggs meeting sperm. The reasons may include:

• scar tissue
• endometriosis
• pelvic inflammatory disease
• adhesions from an operation
• damaged tube ends
• pelvic or cervical surgery
• submucosal fibroids

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Sperm

The most common cause of infertility in men involves abnormal or insufficient sperm. Problems can arise when either not enough sperm is being produced, or the sperm is of poor quality. A normal sample should have 20 million sperm per milliliter (ml) with at least half of that being active (forward swimming). Some success has been achieved with providing fertility drugs to men, particularly in increasing volume. Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is recommended in most cases of poor sperm quality.

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In some cases, the tubes which store and carry the sperm from the testicles, or the vas deferens which lead from them and carry sperm immediately prior to ejaculation can be blocked. If everything else is healthy then a simple procedure to retrieve sperm may be the recommended way forward. 

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