Before you can understand if you are infertile you should probably understand what exactly infertility is in the first place.

What is Infertility?

A couple may be deemed infertile if they have been trying to conceive for 12 straight months with no success. This means you and your partner must have been having regular sex for 12 consective months without the use of birth control.

The primary definition of infertility is the persistent inability to conceive a child.

A lot of people are infertile during their prime reproductive years. Additionally, several of these people may be unaware of there infertility issues because they are not trying to get pregnant at this time.

Approximately 1 in 7 couples in the US alone are deemed infertile. Contributing factors to infertility include a person’s age, physical problems, and lifestyle.

The Female Reproductive Process

There are 5 primary hormones that females produce to stimulate their reproductive systems:

• Luteinizing hormone
• Gonadotropin – releasing hormone
• FSH or follicle stimulating hormone
• progesterone
• estrogen

How these hormones are produced:

• The brain, particularly the hypothalamus, will release the hormone known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone or GnRH.
• This hormone will cause the pituitary gland to produce the follicle stimulating hormone and the luteinizing hormone.
• The LH and FSH hormones will then tell the ovaries to release the hormones progesterone and estrogen

How these hormones work together to regulate female fertility:

The female overis have around 200,000 – 400,000 egg follicles, which are small sacs that hold the necessary ingredients for the ovaries eggs to mature.

• During two weeks of a woman’s monthly cycle the FSH hormone will cause many follicles in the ovaries to grow and mature.
• The FSH hormone will also order the ovaries to produce the estrogen which will initiate the production of high levels of the LH hormone.
• The LH hormone will then stimulate the release of the mature egg into the fallopian tubes from the biggest follicle. This process is also known as ovulation.
• Additionally, the LH hormone will also stimulate the follicle that will produce the corpeus luteum, which is a collection of a yellowed color tissue that produces progesterone.
• The estrogen and progesterone will work together to prepare and thicken the uterine lining where the fertilized egg will implant itself.
• These hormones will also cause the lining of the uterus to swell with blood, which will make it easier for the fertilized egg to make its implantation.
  

The Egg Fertilization Process:

The normal egg fertilization process occurs when it is in the fallopian tubes by a sperm. However, this fertilization process will only take place if a couple has sex near the time that the woman is ovulating. The sperm has to penetrate the egg in order to fertilize it.

Sperm have the ability to survive for around six days after being released into the woman’s vaginal canal and could fertilize the mature egg at any point during this  time frame. However, studies have shown that fertilization is more likely to occur around two days earlier or on the day that the egg is released. After being fertilized, the egg will move to the uterus where it will implant itself and grow into an embryo.

What Happens to the Unfertilized Egg?

If the egg is not fertilized by the sperm it will live for around 12 – 24 hours. The egg will then be shed with the bloody uterine lining that travels through your uterus, cervix, and vagina. This is also known as the woman’s menstrual period.

The Male Reproductive Process:

Men only have 4 primary reproductive hormones including:

• FSH or follicle stimulating hormone
• gonadotropin-releasing hormone or GnRH
• Luteinizing hormone or LH
• Testosterone

How these Hormones are Produced:

• The Man’s brain, specifically his hypothalmus will release the gonadotropin-releasing hormone or GnRH.
• This hormone will stimulate the pituitary gland causing it to produce the follicle stimulating hormone and the luteinizing hormone.
• These two hormones will then regulate the manufacturing of sperm and the release of the testosterone hormone. This will all take place inside of the male’s testes that are found in the scrotum.

Sperm Production:

The sperm’s life begins in the male testes inside of the Sertoli cells.

• The sperm’s life cycle will begin with the development of the head and the tail.
• The sperm will then escape the Sertoli cell and find its way to the epididymis which is located behind the male testes.
• For 3 weeks the sperm will go on a journey through the epididymis in a fluid containing fructose that will energise the sperm. During this swim the sperm will mature and gains the ability to swim on its own.
• A sperm that is mature will have a head that holds the man’s DNA – his genetic makeup – and a tail that will propel it forward by rapidly moving from side to side.

Ejaculation:

When ejaculation occurs during sex, muscles will contract that will push the sperm out of the epidiymis into the channels known as the vas deferens. The sperm will then move into the ejaculatroy ducts and out of the urethra (the tube that urine and semen use to get out of the body).

• Just before ejaculation occurs, the sperm that have made their way to the ejaculatory ducts will combine with the fluids that are produced by the prostate gland, as well as, the liquid from glands from the seminal vesicles, to create semen.
• During the male orgasm, the seminal vesicle glands will forcefully push the semen into the urethra.
• Additionally, during this process, a bladder muscle will lock up in order to prevent the semen from traveling into the bladder to mix with the urine.
• The semen will then move through the urethra to a sort of holding area at the base of the penis, where the muscles will eject it out of the penis when orgasm occurs.

The Sperm Egg Fertilization Process:

Out of the 100-300 million sperm that are released during ejaculation, only around 40 of them will survive the actual journey through the acidic vaginal environment and cervix. The sperm will then face another barrier known as the cervical muscus. However, during ovulation this mucus will thin allowing the sperm to pass through more easily.

After it makes its way through the cervical mucous, the sperm will trigger the acrosome, which is a specific membrane that is located on their heads, which will dissolve causing special enzymes to be released. These special enzymes will allow the sperm to get through the tough outside coating of the egg the is waiting in the fallopian tubes. Only one sperm will make it through the egg barrier to fertilize the egg.

If I Think I am Infertile, What Should I Do?

If you have been having regular intercourse without the use of birth control for over a year and have yet to become pregnant, it may be time to visit your doctor.

However, if a year has not passed, but you are still concerned with infertility, a good plan would be to figure out your particular ovulation time and try having sex during that period. Learn Tips to Determine your Ovulation Time.

Infertility Facts:

• It is an absolute myth that infertility is always the woman’s problem. Half of all infertility cases are a result with the male reproductive system.
• The best way to protect yourself from infertility is to always use condoms during sex when you are not attempting to get pregnant. Condoms will protect you against many STD’s, which are a major factor in infertility.
• 20% of the couples who seek medical treatment for fertility issues will conceive before they even begin treatment. One reason for this is that anxiety about being infertile may have been a major factor in your infertility issues to begin with, and by contacting their doctor, the emotional stress was releived.
• 55% of couples that are infertile will conceive within 2 years of starting their fertility treatment.