Reasons for a delay in conception

Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after a year of unprotected intercourse, or the inability to carry pregnancies to a live birth. Infertility affects around one in six couples and the causes may wide and variable. Broadly, these causes can be divided into female and male or a combination of both.

Female

The main causes of female infertility include failure to ovulate, hormone imbalance, low fertility parameters, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), blocked Fallopian tubes, genetic causes, previous surgery or medications such as chemotherapy, endometriosis and low ovarian reserve and a multitude of other medical causes. Ovarian reserve does decrease with advancing age. This is due to the fact that women are born with all the eggs they will ever produce, and unlike other cells in our bodies, these eggs do not undergo cell replication. Therefore, female fertility is predetermined and declines slightly at 30 years of age. There is a more pronounced decline from around 37 years of age. By the time a woman is 40 years old her fertility is a quarter of when she was at 30.

Lifestyle factors play an important role in fertility in both men and women. Genetic factors also have a significant role and as such I normally conduct extensive investigations to determine any underlying causes.

Male

Male infertility may be due to inadequate numbers of sperm being produced by the testes. Occasionally men may not have sperm produced in their ejaculate. This may be due to an obstructive cause or an issue with the sperm production process. Azoospermia is the term used to describe an ejaculate that contains no sperm. Whilst this can sound like a scary diagnosis, it is important to realise that there are a vast number of causes as to why this occurs and in many cases, these can be addressed and result in successful pregnancies. I work in conjunction with leading Andrologists and Urologists when necessary to provide a holistic approach and aim to maximise our success in achieving your goals.