Fertility Awareness

Fembryo Fertility Clinic – Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth

Fertility Awareness

The simplest definition of infertility is the inability to conceive after a year of unprotected, regular sexual activity or the inability to sustain a pregnancy to live birth.

Of all cases of infertility, 30% can be traced to male and 50% to female factors; 20% are unknown, typically involving both female and male issues.

The deliberate delay of childbearing due to lifestyle and career decisions is one of the main factors contributing to rising infertility rates in affluent nations. Decreased conception rates and more pregnancies lost are negative impacts of aging on reproductive capacity.

The increasing incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease is also thought to be a major cause. Pelvic infections lead to scar formation around the ovaries and the fallopian tubes, thereby impeding the transport of oocytes for fertilisation. 

Male infertility may be due to developmental defects, genitourinary infections, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, hormonal issues, mumps during adolescent years, lifestyle factors, obesity, and previous trauma, resulting in abnormal semen profiles. 

In most cases, the cause of infertility can be determined following a thorough investigation, examination, and detailed history taking in both partners. For approximately 10% of infertile couples, a thorough evaluation reveals no clear cause, and unexplained infertility is diagnosed.