Fertility plays a key role in your ability to fall pregnant and have children – but many people don’t know what fertility is, how it works, and what you can do to improve your chances of a healthy pregnancy.
In this informative guide, we’ll outline the facts about fertility and pregnancy to help you better understand why you might be struggling to have a child.
In simple terms, fertility is the natural ability to have children, either by falling pregnant (women) or by getting a woman pregnant (men). Fertility covers a range of factors that are needed for a healthy pregnancy:
The production of healthy sperm by the man
The production of healthy eggs by the woman
Unblocked fallopian tubes that allow the sperm to reach the egg
The sperm’s ability to fertilise the egg
The ability of the fertilised egg (embryo) to be placed in the woman’s uterus
A high quality embryo
A healthy body to give the embryo a good place to grow and develop
If just one of these factors is not working properly, you may struggle to have a child due to ‘infertility’.
Infertility is the opposite of fertility – so if you are infertile, that means that you will not be able to have a child. Infertility happens in both men and women, with male infertility being the problem 49% of the time and female infertility 51% of the time in couples struggling to have children.
Luckily, there are many treatments that can significantly improve your chances of getting pregnant, including simply getting the right advice, making a few lifestyle changes, and taking the right supplements.
There are various issues that could play a role in causing female fertility problems, including:
Medical issues, such as hormonal disorders, reproductive system abnormalities or damage, scar tissue following surgery, and diseases such as poorly-managed diabetes.
Age can also be a factor – the older you get, the harder it can be to have a healthy pregnancy.
Being overweight or obese.
Lifestyle factors such as excessive smoking or drinking, or lack of exercise.
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There are various issues that could play a role in causing male fertility problems, including:
Medical issues, such as diseases of the testicles, problems with your body moving the sperm to where it needs to be, and issues with your brain signalling the testicles to produce sperm.
Age – the older you get, the less sperm you produce, and your body may struggle to transport it properly.
Being overweight or obese.
Lifestyle factors such as excessive smoking or drinking, or lack of exercise.
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There are various issues that could play a role in causing male fertility problems, including:
The reproductive system is made up of the organs and glands that relate to having children, including the female’s ovaries and the male’s testicles, and the pituitary gland in the brain that signals the body to produce hormones.
If any part of the reproductive system isn’t working properly, this can lead to infertility.
Female disorders that can affect fertility include:
Early or late puberty
Endometriosis – a condition in which the tissue that normally lines the inside of the womb grows outside of the womb instead
Not being able to produce enough breastmilk
Menstrual problems, including heavy or irregular bleeding
Ovaries that contain more male hormones than normal (polycystic ovary syndrome)
Noncancerous growths in the women’s uterus or womb (uterine fibroids)
Male disorders that can affect fertility include:
Impotence or erectile dysfunction (not being able to get or maintain an erection)
Low sperm count
For both men and women, being overweight or underweight can lead to infertility.
If you’re overweight or obese, losing weight can boost your chances of falling pregnant. Studies have shown that women who are overweight take twice as long to fall pregnant than those at a healthy weight. In men, obesity can cause infertility and low testosterone, which can lead to a lower sperm count and a reduced sex drive.
Being significantly underweight can also lead to infertility, as your body is not able to produce the hormones it needs for ovulation in women, and sperm production in men.
