Infertile Ground?
April 6th, 2005
By Stal Herz
While many of life’s wonders can be purchased or obtained through
hard work, the greatest miracle of all, childbirth, is often times the
most elusive. Infertility grips about 6 million Americans each year, and
that number is on a steady increase.
The frustration and extreme depression that ensues after years of
infertility in both males and females can cause long lasting trauma and
may complicate things even further.
Despite the fact that there are over 5 billion people in the world,
having a child is indeed a miracle each time it occurs, with a variety
of factors contributing to conception. The key to preventing infertility
may be to make sure your body is functioning at an optimal level long
before you are thinking about having a child.
While men mostly must concern themselves with maintaining a healthy and
numerous sperm count, A woman must think about keeping her fallopian
tubes clear while maintaining a proper environment within the womb.
While artificial insemination is indeed an option, many couples want a
piece of themselves walking around the world, and because of that, want
a child who is biologically related to them. If you are choosing this
option, you may want to turn to IVF.
The process of IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) surgically removes eggs from
the ovary and mixes them with sperm in a Petri dish. There is a 2-day
waiting period to see if the sperm has been induced to fertilize and start
the cell division necessary to form embryos. If fertilization occurs, these
eggs are placed inside the uterus, allowing couples to bypass the process of
going through fallopian tubes, often a major inhibitor of pregnancy.
As with many things, prevention is often an easier road to take than a full
on treatment. The treatment cost of IVF is around 13,000 dollars, and the
likelihood of your insurance plan covering such a thing is slim.
A main cause of infertility can be trough STD’s, so cases of Goneria,
syphilis and even some extreme cases of herpes can leave the reproductive
system severely damaged and make it all the more difficult to conceive.
Lifestyle also plays a huge role in the causes and effects of infertility.
Marijuana and Cocaine are known to decrease the sperm count in men, and make
it less potent come "Go Time."
Often times, it is the actual stress of having a child can contribute to
infertility. Sleepless nights and not eating right causes a tightening of
the fallopian tubes, and which makes it hard for sperm get through.
Also, with this stress often comes an increase in drinking and smoking
cigarettes, both of which can contribute to a lack of production.
IUD’s used in women who have not yet conceived are dangerous as well,
because this can cause a pelvic inflammation that makes it very difficult
to conceive.
Women who smoke also see a decrease in the amount of healthy eggs they can
produce. So, if you’re thinking about having a family, you’re
going to need to quit smoking anyway while you’re pregnant, so you
might as well get ahead of the game and give yourself a chance to actually
have the child.
The best news in all of this is that the effects of smoking and drinking on
the reproductive system can actually be reversed if stopped at some point
in the process.
If you are unsure about taking pills or being inseminated, acupuncture has
been known to decrease the stress in the woman’s reproductive system,
at least enough to open up the tubes and let nature take its course.
This is a natural and drug free way to fertilize yourself, and will more than
likely lessen the side effects of taking a large amount of drugs.
Another contributing factor is the environment in which you are working.
For men, especially people who are constantly working in hot environments,
their sperm count may be low and less powerful. If you are trying to
conceive, make sure you limit your time in these conditions.
While Hip Hop has changed the world for the better, the style of clothing
may actually help too, as loose fitting clothes allow for more sperm production.
Boxers may have contributed to the population explosion on the
20th century.
Young girls who have appendectomies might develop pelvic inflammations that
make their tubes narrow. The extracting of small ovarian cysts may be doing
long-term damage, so make sure you educate yourself on all the surgeries
before they are performed. Take time to speak with the doctor and ask of all
the long-term side effects.
Of course, natural factors can also contribute to infertility. As a woman
ages, the fertilization probability decreases because of the increased risk
of Chromosome damage
New studies have shown that obesity at an early age in children is a
contributing factor, as the weight actually can crush the inner organs, causing
organic mutation to occur inside a young woman’s reproductive system.
30 percent of a woman’s estrogen is produced in her fat cells. Since
Hormonal balance is essential for conception, extreme weight in either
direction of the scale can also be a limiting factor.
Again, each body is different, so make sure you educate yourself about how
everything works, and what you can do to maintain and increase the health of
your reproductive system.
Then again, there are millions of children out there without anyone to tuck
them in at night, so you might want to consider that as well before falling
into any type of depression about not being able to have a child of your own.
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