INFERTILITY AS A CAUSE OF BROKEN HOMES (Part 2)

SHOULD INFERTILITY BE A CAUSE OF BROKEN HOME?
The answer is NO! It is however unfortunate to note that infertility has been ranked as one of the major causes of broken homes. The main challenge that a couple struggling with infertility face is external stress from family and friends as well as the society. Most couples get worked up and worried about what people would say or think about them. The anxiety created by this feeling on its own hinders pregnancy. Most couples trying for baby in a bid to ensure timed intercourse during ovulation may end up limiting sex to mean a baby seeking exercise and thus lose the fun of sex. You may forget that sex is much more than for making babies. This can seriously impact your sex life and may result in decreased sexual desire, performance anxiety or erectile dysfunction.

Some couples goes through denial, refusing to accept their doctors diagnosis and treatment options proffered. This outright refusal to comply with the doctor’s recommendation may be backed by religious belief or faith. Some couple also has the wrong perception that infertility was meant for some certain group of people whom they perceive as having poor moral, unfortunately there are so many factors that can affect fertility and one of them is genetics. Some individuals are more fertile than others due to their body make-up, lots of innocent young ladies have got polycystic ovaries which makes them seldom ovulate, it is genetic and not their fault, same goes to women with endometriosis. Some individual may require just mild medical intervention to assist them conceive naturally. This may just be fertility education like ovulation calculation and not necessarily advance technologies like In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Applying the right perspective to infertility is very important as it provides the compass to its resolution.

Infertility is one among many challenges in life. Every challenge can be resolved by following due proven process. There are various ways of resolving infertility, hence couple attempting pregnancy should learn to work with their Fertility Expert through each step of the way. Infertility should not be a female affair because we require both the sperm and egg to form the embryo. Just like the adage that says ‘’it takes two to tangle’’ couples trying for babies should be seen together as this facilitates their management.

Early evaluation of couple to identify underlining reasons why pregnancy is not achieved is essential, knowing fertility declines with age. Most of the couple who delay medical intervention towards their fertility earlier in life often ends up attempting more advanced expensive fertility treatment at later age when their fertility has drastically reduced. The success rate of virtually all fertility treatment decreases with increasing age, hence patient may experience repeated implantation failure and this involves huge financial burden thus creating more frustration.

Studies have shown that women undergoing infertility treatment are more emotionally stable when they have the support of their spouse than when they don’t. It has been reported that hormonal levels in overly anxious/ depressed/ sad/ frustrated people fluctuate greatly. In Depression/ anxiety there is elevation of Hormones like Cortisol and Adrenaline which have negative impact on the reproductive system.

While infertility may often lead to broken home or polygamy, this approach is often not the best route to infertility resolution as it often in some cases tend to create more harm than good.

Recommendations for couples battling Fertility Challenges:
• Once a woman is 37 years and above, she should seek the help of a Fertility specialist/ Gynaecologist immediately she starts attempting pregnancy.

• Couples who though younger, but have been having regular, unprotected sex for up to a year without conception should seek medical help.

• Couple trying to conceive should ensure they enjoy regular, unprotected sex, several times every week especially around ovulation.

• Men and women, who already have been diagnosed of reproductive abnormalities, must learn to work with time as increasing age does not favour fertility.

• Women who are overweight and have irregular ovulations will increase their chance of conception by losing some weight. Weight loss should be achieved by healthy diet and exercises.
• Eat right for fertility and also add use of prenatal multivitamins and minerals at least 3-6months before attempting conception.

• Lifestyle modification that excludes smoking and alcohol consumption will better enhance fertility.
• Men and women who join fertility support group are better able to cope than those who do not.
• Pregnancy rate is higher in younger women as compared to older women even for advanced expensive medical interventions as IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) using own eggs.
• Assisted Reproductive Technology provides the opportunity for couple to become parents irrespective of age and cause of infertility.

CONCLUSION
Life is a rhythm, only the wise will choose to dance to the melody, do not let infertility overwhelm you; learn to enjoy this special gift called today.
It has been estimated that 72.4 million couples experience fertility problem globally. While some researchers have observed that infertility constitute a major burden on clinical service delivery in Nigeria, being more than 50% of gynecological caseloads and constituting over 80% of laparoscopic investigations.