How Fertile Am I?

Countless couples look forward to having their own kids. However, many of them find it nearly impossible due to infertility. Whether you are planning to get pregnant now or in the future, it is best to take note of potential risk factors observed and report it to your care provider immediately. Early detection of infertility on you and your partner gives way to possible treatment solutions or therapies to be successful in conceiving a baby.

What Factors Affect My Fertility?

Knowing the factors affecting fertility aids in understanding the question “how fertile am I ?”. Solutions offered in treating infertility depend on the affected fertility factor to ensure better chances of getting pregnant. Factors affecting fertility include the following:

1. Age

Age is a primary factor that affects fertility, which is the reason why more mature women have difficulties getting pregnant. At the age of 30, fertility among women starts to drop and decreasing significantly at age 35.

Many women are still able to conceive easily at age 35. However, women older than 35 years old have increased risk of miscarriage or experiencing complicated pregnancy. Statistics show that only two out of five 40-year-old women get pregnant. Wrapping up this fertility factor in a biological standpoint, experts recommend getting pregnant before age 35.

2. General Health

Various health factors affect fertility. Examples of these factors include the following:

Being underweight or overweight affects the production of estrogen, which also contribute to weak reproductive process.
Hormonal imbalance affects ovulation process and results to irregular periods.
Moderate to heavy alcohol drinking or smoking.
Taking certain types of medications for chronic diseases.
Exposing your body to various work and environmental hazards.

3. Diseases

Several diseases affecting the reproductive system have great effects on fertility. Common diseases that make it difficult for women to conceive include:

Fallopian tube diseases. Approximately 20 percent of recorded infertility issues treated are triggered by fallopian tube diseases. According to the National Infertility Association, a physician can conduct hysterosalpngogram to a woman with possible fallopian tube issue. This procedure is an x-ray that will assess a woman’s reproductive system and check for possible fallopian tube obstruction.

Endometriosis. This is a condition where the uterine wall lining formed inside the uterus extend outside towards adjacent organs like fallopian tubes, ovaries, intestines and bladder. Statistics show that around 5 to 30 percent of infertile women suffer from this condition. Endometriosis is often blamed for problematic egg implantation, scarring and cyst growths.

Sexually transmitted diseases. Reports indicate around 65 million people suffering from STDs in United States alone. Several STD cases remain undetected among women until it is too late, like chlamydia. Similarly with endometriosis, STDs also cause scarring on fallopian tubes and ectopic pregnancy. Leaving these STDs untreated may result to permanent infertility.

Pelvic inflammatory disease. Also known as PID, this condition is known as an infection affecting the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes. Resources show that PID is usually STD-triggered, but causes range from a wide array of complications experienced from childbirth, abortion or intrauterine device (IUD) use. Infertility risk factors increase as the number of PID episodes increase.

Female hormonal imbalances. Hormones trigger ovulation by transmitting chemical signals at accurate time. Imbalances can cause inaccurate signal transmission and irregular ovulation. This results to irregular menstruation or different menstrual cycle length. Fortunately, this problem can be easily treated using hormone replacement or other fertility drugs.

DES exposure. Exposure to various substances while inside the womb can compromise fertility. A common example is using diethylstilbestrol (DES) while pregnant. It shows reproductive system abnormalities to the child once he or she grew up. DES is a famous drug used to prevent miscarriage in the past.

How to Find out How Fertile I Am

Discovering how fertile you are in advance helps in knowing appropriate treatment options. Luckily, finding out your fertility is possible by doing the following steps easily.

What to Do	Description
Check your partner’s sperm count	Studies show that up to 50 percent of infertile couples is caused by the husband’s low sperm count. Sperm count can be done in the clinic and often done first before the woman gets tested.
Know your menstrual cycle	Knowing your menstrual cycle leads to establishing your fertile days. Regular menstrual cycles mean ovulation time is generally the same throughout the year.
Track ovulation cycle	Use the calendar method to track ovulation cycle and schedule fertile days for having sex. You may ovulate on between 10th to 14th day after your period’s first day.
Note lunar fertility cycles	This requires you to know your birthday’s moon phase. You can use an online lunar fertility phase calculator to know your fertility day. This fertility day is the same for all months.
Monitor cervical mucus	Cervical mucus can indicate if you are fertile depending on its appearance. Stick your finger to your vagina and observe the mucus. Egg white-like mucus is an indication that you are fertile.
Take an ovarian reserve test	This test lets you know the number of eggs you still have in your ovary. Low ovarian reserve means low chances of conception and can benefit from getting an egg donor.
Have a FSH test	Follicle stimulating hormone or FSH must be in appropriate amount for a woman to conceive. Low FSH count means eggs are not released at precise timing.
Get an estradiol test	Estradiol, like estrogen, aids in regulating reproductive cycle. Low estradiol level is indicative of low chances of conception.
Take LH test	Luteinizing hormone or LH should be high in time for the reproductive cycle. LH level can be tested using an ovulation predictor kit or OPK.
Have a prolactin test	Although it is well known for supporting milk production, prolactin is the main hormone that maximizes fertility.
Get a thyroid function test	Being a major component for hormone production, even thyroid functions must undergo testing. Overproduction or over activity of the thyroid gland increase the risk of miscarriage.
Take an integrin test	Integrin aids in attaching the released egg on the uterus. Low integrin levels result to the egg not attaching to the uterus even if after fertilization. Therapy is available to increase integrin level and make the fertilized egg become viable pregnancy.

How to Boost My Fertility

Understanding your body through factors affecting fertility, you can get appropriate treatment or solution to conceive sooner. If there is nothing wrong in your health, you can simply time your fertile days and have sex to ensure fertilization. Consult your physician for any significant health issues that may cause you to be infertile and receive the right treatment.

You can check the video below and learn some good advice from an expert to boost your fertility: