No bun in the oven?

Watch out for these signs of infertility

- Dr Rakesh Sharma

If you’re reading this, chances are that you’re planning to start your own family. And maybe, you’ve already begun. But despite the frequent and unprotected sex, you’re not met with success. Before you hit your panic button, it’s important that you understand the problem at hand. There are different causes of infertility, and they affect both men and women. These need to be identified early so that you could figure out your options going forward.

In today’s stressful lifestyle, it is becoming an even more common problem among women. Around 30-40 years back, menstruation was an occurrence when girls were the age of 1617 years, however due to multiple reasons, the menstruation age has come down to 9-10 years. Since there is a long gap in the start of menstruation till a woman actually planning to conceive, there’s a substantial loss of the most fertile eggs that a women can bear.

There are multiple steps in the reproduction process that need to happen correctly in order to conceive:

1. A mature egg is released from one of the two ovaries

2. The egg enters the fallopian tube

3. The sperm travels through the cervix, up the fallopian tube, and meets the egg for fertilization

4. Once fertilized, the egg travels to the uterus where it then implants and grows. Reproduction takes place through the following factors that are key to becoming pregnant.

Ovulation: In order to get pregnant, the ovaries need to produce and release an egg that conclusively meets the sperm.