www.womanthismonth.com February 2017 42 LIFESTYLE | wellbeing Human reproduction is such a natural life event that one seldom stops to think how complex and almost miraculous the whole process is. When a woman has attained an age of physical maturity, and is mentally ready to nurture another being, her body will naturally undergo the required changes to do so. But the path can be strewn with several roadblocks on the way. Dr Sudharani Bairraju, obstetrics and gynaecology/IVF consultant at Bahrain Specialist Hospital, is here to help with the basics. What causes infertility in women? There are many factors which may contribute to difficulties in becoming pregnant, Dr Sudharani tells us. “Problems in the female genital tract like blocked fallopian tubes due to infection, endometriosis, fibroids in the uterus, adhesions inside the uterine cavity or abnormal development of the uterus can all lead to difficulty in conception,” she says. Hormonal problems are another reason. She goes on to say that a woman’s age and stress also contribute to infertility. “An unhealthy lifestyle has a negative bearing on fertility by causing hormonal imbalances which interfere with the formation of mature eggs, thus leading to difficulties in getting pregnant,” says Dr Sudharani. Asked if other medical conditions can also account for the problem, she adds: “Radiation and chemotherapy cause acute ovarian failure. There will be loss of ovarian follicles [eggs], leading to infertility and premature menopause.” In some women infertility is unexplained, known as idiopathic infertility. This is when standard medical tests have not found the underlying reason for the failure to get pregnant. What’s age got to do with it? “Age is the single most important factor affecting a woman’s fertility. Women are born with a limited number of eggs in the ovaries and as age advances, this ovarian reserve decreases. Fertility starts declining in the late 20s. A woman’s best reproductive years are in her 20s,” says our expert. As age advances, the ovaries do not continue to produce healthy, mature eggs and do not respond as favourably to the hormones that trigger ovulation. That is not to say that someone in her 30s or beyond cannot fall pregnant, although it may need medical intervention. What about men? When it comes to men, their fertility does not decline at the same rate as their female counterparts with age; although the older a man, the lesser the chances of easily conceiving. A man’s fertility depends on the quantity and quality of his sperm. Usually, fertility problems in males are related to sperm production and motility. “Male infertility is as common as female infertility. Therefore men should also get Infertility, or the inability to have a child, strikes a significant percentage of the world’s population, cutting across racial, ethnic and socio-economic differences. Thankfully, there are ways to overcome it, finds Behnaz Sanjana. THE FERTILITY FACTOR A girl is born with all the eggs she will need in her lifetime, between one to two million of them. There is a continuous decline in this number, and once a girl attains puberty there are only 25 per cent remaining. Total depletion of all the eggs signifies the end of the menopausal period in a woman’s life.
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